Troubleshooting . . .

OK...here it is, part 3 of our F.A.Q.'s. Let me stress that...these tips work for me, but they are not necessarily the "proper" fixes. I know there are a few cookie experts who read the blog, so I'm hoping they'll chime in with their tips in the comments. (You know who you are!)


My royal icing is staying "tacky" even after several hours and overnight...any ideas?

My experience is that this is due to flood icing that is thinned too much. When flooding cookies, if the icing runs quickly to fill the entire cookie with having to be spread with a toothpick, it's too thin. Pour your icing back into the bowl, sift in some powdered sugar and let sit again for several minutes.

Why is my royal icing pitted looking and still wet?

Same answer as above...it's happened to me before, too. I'm crying with you.

Help! My cookies dried overnight and now they have dark splotches all over them!

Yeah...you know how humidity is so lovely for your hair? It's just the same with cookies. Close the windows, run the A/C...do whatever you can to make your cookie drying area humidity-free. The good news is, the splotches will normally spread across the entire cookie to darken the icing to a consistent color.

See that horse cookie in the collage above? This is also known as "the day I almost divorced my husband." I kid, I kid! BUT, he did open the windows in the room where the cookies were drying, right after the sprinklers had run outside. Take my advice...have a heart-to-heart with hubby about humidity.

Why do my cookies have white splotches on them?

When stirring in water to flood the cookies, be sure to fully incorporate the water. Those white splotches are water. Also, if you are using a squeeze bottle, make sure it is completely dry before adding your flood icing. If a drop of water is in your bottle, it will come out on your cookie. If you notice a drop of water, grab a paper towel, blot it out and re-coat the area with icing. It will smooth out.

Why is my royal icing full of bubbles?

Two hints here...stir in the water for flooding gently with a rubber spatula, not a mixer. Two: once the water is incorporated, cover with a damp dish towel and let sit several minutes. Most of the bubbles will rise to the surface. Stir gently again and you're good to go. Any other stray bubbles can be popped with a toothpick or a pin.

I've tried royal frosting once and it hurt my hands so bad I swore never to do it again.

Try filling your icing bags only 1/2 full. I know it sounds strange, but it makes such a difference!

Why does my red or black icing taste terrible?

My guess is that you are using the food coloring brand sold in craft/grocery stores. While this company does a lot of things right....red and black food coloring are not those things. I strongly recommend AmeriColor Super Red and Super Black. You can find them here, in my Amazon shop, or in many online baking supply stores.

Why does my piped icing...you know...the outline...or maybe just some piping done on gingerbread men...well...why does it dry up and just fall off in little bits.

I think this is from overbeating. It's happened to me, too. Try to beat it until it's glossy and just coming to a stiff peak. Also, use the paddle attachment of your mixer. (Check the Royal Icing 102 post for more info.)

I can not write names or outline without the icing breaking.

This just takes practice...lots and lots of practice. Try getting used to your icing bag and printing on a plate or sheet of wax paper before going to your cookies. It's possible that your royal icing may be a little overbeaten. Check out the Royal Icing 102 post, too.

Why are my colors bleeding?

Well, that happens to me, too, sometimes. First, try to use AmeriColor food colorings. I had this problem a lot more when I used "the other guy's" food coloring. Second, when using a wet-on-wet technique for something like flat dots, let the base color sit for a few minutes before adding the dots. And sometimes, especially with the flat dots, it just happens. What helps me deal with it is to know that it WILL BE EATEN and there will be no evidence. People will just remember "cute cookie."

---

Please be sure to check out the previous two F.A.Q. installments...

1. F.A.Q.'s
2. Royal Icing 102, or 201, or whatever comes after 101

...I'll be updating these posts periodically with your questions.

{This post is also being linked to Works For Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.}

Royal Icing 102 . . . or 201 . . . or whatever comes after 101

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you might have seen my post titled "Royal Icing 101." This is how I made royal icing for years...and it worked well...most of the time.

Sometimes, though, I had problems with my icing. Some days it looked dull; sometimes the piping cracked; sometimes the flood icing was filled with little holes.

So, I've done some reading and some experimenting and I've made some changes. Who knows...maybe in 6 months, I'll be doing a post called "Royal Icing 103" (or 301, or whatever), but here's what is working for me these days.

Royal Icing
(This will cover 2-3 dozen 3.5 inch cookies in 2 colors; I usually double this recipe.)

4 TBSP meringue powder
scant 1/2 c. water
1 lb. powdered sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp light corn syrup
few drops clear extract (optional)



Combine the meringue powder and water. With the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, beat until combined and foamy.



Sift in the powdered sugar and beat on low to combine. (Do NOT skip the sifting!)


Add in the corn syrup and extract if desired. ( I think the corn syrup helps keep the icing shiny.)

Increase speed to med-high/high and beat for about 5 minutes, just until the icing is glossy and stiff peaks form.


(You should be able to remove the beater from the mixer and hold up and jiggle without the peak falling.) Do not overbeat.

Cover with plastic wrap touching the icing or divide and color using gel paste food colorings.

This "stiff" icing is perfect for outlining and even for building gingerbread houses and monogramming. To fill in your cookies, add water to your icing a teaspoon at a time, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it is the consistency of syrup. This technique of filling a cookie with thinned icing is called "flooding."

Here are some f.a.q.'s regarding royal icing:
{Be sure to check last week's post with cookies f.a.q.'s...I will be updating that post periodically...and check back for next week's troubleshooting post.}

Do you ever add anything to your royal icing to improve the taste (lemon juice, almond extract....?).

Yes, I typically use a few drops of pure almond extract when I am making my vanilla-almond sugar cookies. Just keep in mind that any colored extract, such as vanilla, will tint the icing.

What is a "scant" cup?

It's a measuring cup not filled all the way up to the top. Take a look at the picture above....I took it just for you!

Why does my piped icing...you know...the outline...or maybe just some piping done on gingerbread men...well...why does it dry up and just fall off in little bits.

I think this is from overbeating. It's happened to me, too. Try to beat it until it's glossy and just coming to a stiff peak. Also, use the paddle attachment of your mixer. (This is a really common question...I'll put it in the troubleshooting post as well.)

How do you know the perfect consistency for icing when flooding?

Once your colors are mixed, add water a teaspoon at a time to thin it for flooding. Stir the water in with a rubber spatula, rather than beating it. Hold your rubber spatula over the bowl and let some icing fall back into the bowl. The ribbon of icing should disappear into the rest of the icing in about 2-3 seconds, counting "one-one thousand, two-one thousand."

When decorating wet on wet, how do you do it so the colors don't bleed into one another?

I typically work about 6-8 cookies at a time. I flood all the cookies in the base coat, then go back and add the dots. This gives them a minute or so to rest. It seems to stop the bleeding. Sometimes, it still happens and that's when I have to remind myself not to stress and that it's "just a cookie." (Sometimes a glass of wine helps.)

How exactly do you mix your icing colors when you need several colors and piping and flood?

I divide my icing into how many colors I'll need, whether it's for piping or flooding. (IE...if I need red for outlining and flooding, I make one big container of red.) Then, I tint them with food coloring. If I need a color for both piping and flooding, I go ahead and fill a piping bag before adding the water for flooding. Here's a link with more details on icing prep.

If you make your icing ahead of time, do you separate into flood and piping then or wait until it's time to decorate?

I wait until it's time to decorate.

How do you get your writing to look so even and not slanted?

Practice....lots and lots of practice! And sometimes, it's still crooked! ;) Try practicing on a plate or a piece of wax paper before trying it on your cookies.

Do you have any suggestions for folks like me with not a lot of room to spread out the cookies to dry?

Try stacking your cookie sheets with the drying cookies on top of each other...like some horizontally and some on top vertically allowing some space for air circulation. Does that make sense? The sides of the cookie sheets will support the second layer. You may have to add some drying time here. I've been known to have cookie sheets on every flat surface of my house, including the guest room bed!

I've always wondered...if the cookie is left out overnight, won't it get stale?

Nope, the royal icing needs that overnight time to dry thoroughly and the icing kind of "seals" the cookie from getting stale.

Does royal icing taste as good as cream cheese frosting?

Nope...not in a million years. Cream cheese icing I would eat with a spoon, royal icing not so much. It can taste good, especially if you use Williams-Sonoma, Ateco or AmeriColor meringue powder, but it will never compare to frosting. Make sure you use a sugar cookie recipe that you like. The cookie is the real star here.

Where can I buy meringue powder?

Meringue powder can be found in craft stores and even in the WalMart craft section. The brands that I recommend are normally only found in baking supply stores or online. I recommend Williams-Sonoma, Ateco and AmeriColor. These 3 are vastly superior to the craft store brand in taste and performance.

How do you get the same color, when you made less icing than you needed?

I always try to make more than I need to avoid that problem....otherwise, I really just cross my fingers.

When you make your icing beforehand, do you refrigerate it or leave it out?

Refrigerate it.

How long can you keep royal icing in the fridge before you need to toss it?

I've heard up to one week, but I am never that organized to have it made that early.

In what type of container do you store it (pastry bags or Tupperware or ??)

I put it in Tupperware type containers with plastic wrap pressed down onto the icing to keep it from drying, then with the lid on top of that.

I've always wanted to ask - "the consistency of syrup" - do you mean cheap syrup or real maple syrup? Seriously, I have both and they are so different. Stop laughing at me. I have consistency issues. Stop laughing!

I love this question, Brigid! The consistency of the good stuff. :) (See the question a few above on consistency.)

How do you know for sure when the frosting is dry enough to put more raised-style frosting on top?

I usually wait at least an hour.

How do I make red icing?

AmeriColor Super Red food coloring!!! Here's more info on red icing.

How do I make black icing?

AmeriColor Super Black food coloring (noticing a trend?). Here's more info on black icing.

---

I'll try to update this list as questions come in, so please check back! Thanks, guys, for the questions...I hope this helps! If you have any Royal Icing tips, please share!!! I'd love to hear them!

{Visit Works For Me Wednesday for more tips at We Are THAT Family.}

Related posts:

• F. A. Q.'s
  

F. A. Q. 's

Last week, I asked for your questions about cookie decorating, and you all had a couple! ;) I'll be splitting this up into 3 posts....this one, one of royal icing specifically and a third on troubleshooting. Some questions fall into all three categories, so check for the next couple of weeks for your answer. If for some reason, you don't see it, please feel free to email me.

{Disclaimer: I am not a professional...I am totally self-taught. These answers are what work for me. I hope they work for you, too.}

What sugar cookie recipe do you use?

This one is my favorite. Sometimes, I change up the extracts, but this makes a perfectly yummy and sturdy cookie on which to decorate.

A lot of the recipes call for "softened butter", so I usually use the butter that comes in a tub. Do you think that could be my problem?

Well...I wouldn't go there. I use cold butter; you can read more here.

How do you cut a nice cookie without using insane amounts of flour?

I actually DO use an insane amount of flour. I flour the rolling pin, I dip my cookie cutters in flour between cuts and I flour my rolling surface (wax paper). Periodically during rolling & cutting, I'll run my hand across the wax paper and rolling pin to make sure I can still feel the flour (even if I don't see it). If I can't feel flour, I re-coat the surface with more. Just sprinkle a couple tablespoons on the surface, spread it out with your (clean) hands, run your rolling pin over it to coat it as well, and you're set. Some have luck using powdered sugar instead of flour...I have tried it and I still prefer flour, but sometimes it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

How do I roll dough?

See the tips above for flouring the surfaces and the cutters. I roll on wax paper, but not in between sheets. I roll my cookies to about 3/8" to 1/4" thickness...I eyeball it.

Is it OK to use the "scraps" after cutting shapes from dough?

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I use my scraps. Just knead them in a little with the remaining dough to incorporate.

After cutting out your cookies, how do you pick them up without denting or squishing them?

Cold dough, a thickly cut cookie and rolling on wax paper help here. I start with cold butter. Cut out as many cookies as you can from one piece, then scoop up the excess dough. Slide your fingers under the cut shapes and transfer.

How do you keep your cookies from getting bumps? It seems that after the first time the dough is rolled out and cut, after that each time the cookies get these air bubbles that ruin the flat surface of the cookie.

When you are using dough scraps from a previous cut, be sure to "knead" the scraps into the remaining dough. As you are cutting the dough, if you notice the top layer is lifting, re-knead and re-roll. When rotating cookies in the oven, check for large air bubbles and lightly tap them down with your finger. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry...they'll be covered in icing.

What is an easy, non-intimidating way to start baking/decorating cookies?

Just Do It....yes, it's a new Nike for cookies promo. Start with a simple design to get the hang of it. Here are a few from the blog. If flood icing is intimidating, fill in the entire cookie with the thicker piped icing. It won't be as smooth, but it will still be cute!

If you are doing a small cookie order for someone - what do you do with the left over dough?

I eat it.

What kind of camera/lens/lighting to you use?

This may horrify you, but I have a point & shoot camera...a Fuji FinePix that has flour in every crevice. I try to take pictures by a window in natural light...my husband constructed a light box out of white foam board for me. Most of the finished cookies pictures are taken this way. I decorate a lot at night, so those pictures, well, look like crap. I have my eye on a Lowel EGO Tabletop Light for night shots. (I could be persuaded to accept a donation.) ;)

In several of your posts, you say to let the cookie dry overnight. I've always wondered...if the cookie is left out overnight, won't it get stale?

Nope, not at all. The icing needs to dry overnight before being packaged. Now, if it's not iced, just let the cookies cool and then put them in a baggie or Tupperware container until you're ready to decorate.

I made some spritz cookies recently and added sprinkles. I put the sprinkles on before I baked the cookies. The sprinkles looked melted. Do I have to put them on before I bake them or would it work to put them on right when them come out of the oven?

I don't really know about much spritz cookies, but I would guess that you could sprinkle them as soon as they came out of the oven and the sprinkles would stick....kind of like Hershey's Kisses do on those thumbprint cookies.

How long will the cookies keep and what's the best way to store them?

Once decorated, I think they are best within a week. They stay freshest...is that a word?!? It's late and that sounds weird...either bagged individually or in a baggie. Longer than a week, and I would freeze them. More about freezing cookies is here.

Can you freeze cookies? Can you freeze them after decorating? Can you freeze the plain cookies, thaw and decorate them and then re-freeze them?

Yes! Absolutely, cookies can be made ahead and frozen, with or with out royal icing! For more details, click here. Now, freezing, decorating and re-freezing, I'm not sure. I don't want to try it and ruin a perfectly good cookie. Anyone else tried it? Anyone?

How long do you give yourself if you need to make 3-5 dozen cookies?

Well, that depends. OK...I figure it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to bake one batch/dozen sugar cookies. Then, another 45 minutes or so to make and tint the royal icing. Decorating? It really depends on the number of colors and how detailed the cookie design is. Plan on a couple of hours...even with the simplest cookies, you'll have some down time where you are just waiting for them to dry before going on to the next step. If I'm making 3-5 dozen, or more, I usually try to either make the icing or the cookies the day before.

Where do you get your supplies?

Here's a list of some of my favorites. You may also click the "recommends" button at the top of the blog for some items that can be ordered through Amazon. (Of course, Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma are "frequently visited places" on my GPS.)

• Bake It Pretty...one of the two cutest online baking shops around,
  
• Layer Cake Shop...the other of the two cutest baking shops around,
• King Arthur Flour,
• Sugar Craft (They basically have everything you need, although their site navigation is not my favorite. I've ordered lots of sanding sugar here.)
• Make-a-Cake (local)

Where do you get your cookie cutters?

Everywhere I see a new one! And...

• Little Fox Factory,
• Foose,
• Copper Gifts,
• as well as the shops listed above.
  

How do you "fill" a cupcake?

Use a large decorating tip...I last used a Wilton 4B. Put the tip in a piping bag, add the filling. Then stick the tip into the top of the cupcake and squeeze. The cupcake should feel full, but not so full that it breaks apart.

Where do you get the clear cookie bags?

I buy mine by the case from ULine. I buy the 6x10" bags which fit most all of my cookies. They are a little big for cookies 3" or smaller, but that's ok.

---

Overwhelmed? I hope not! Remember...more posts are coming on royal icing and troubleshooting. If you don't see your question here or you haven't emailed it to me, please ask away!