Helpful Royal Icing Tips for Decorating Success!

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Hey Besties! I’m so excited about this post because it’s been on my list forever! And it’s slightly different than most, but I’m hoping to will be very helpful for you! In our cookie decorating world, we spend SO much time discussing icing, icing techniques, consistencies and more. Today, I’m answering all of my more frequently asked questions general questions about icing management. I’m including my best royal icing tips to make cookie decorating easier and more fun! We’re covering all the questions, and I will continue to update this over time to keep all of these tips in one place! I hope you will find helpful nuggets that will make a difference for you! And if you have more questions, we have a place to have those conversations! Let’s dive in!

Royal icing recipe

If you have a royal icing recipe you already love, I love that for you! But if you’re looking for a fabulous royal icing recipe or if your current one is giving you any grief, I recommend trying this royal icing recipe! It’s super simple to make, with only a few important steps. The magic is in the method of how this icing is made which sets it apart from the rest. And it only takes about 8 minutes from the time I start pulling my ingredients until I have a fresh batch of icing! I LOVE the sight of a fresh batch – oh the possibilities!!!

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…everyone’s royal icing is slightly different. We all talk amongst ourselves as if all royal icing is the same, but it’s not! While there is a short list of ingredients, the brands, ingredients and method of making can yield very different results. So keep that in mind when watching tutorials and techniques; your icing may not behave the same as another cookier’s. And if you’re not getting the result you want with your icing, you’re not married to the recipe…try a different recipe! You’d be amazed the messages I receive when cookiers simply try a new recipe and can’t believe the difference! It doesn’t have to be the same recipe I use, but don’t stick with a recipe that’s not loving you back!

What makes this recipe different?

A few things I love about this recipe that are different than most of the others:

This recipe contains a higher water content. This can make some cookiers nervous when first trying it because it’s more than they are used to! But give it a chance – thousands of cookiers LOVE it! The higher water content makes for easy piping at even the stiffest consistencies. No hand cramps here, seriously! Cookiers who create a lot of florals LOVE it for this reason!
The PUFF. Something that makes all cookiers swoon! This icing makes for beautiful PUFF.
This icing is very light and silky. I’ve had so many cookiers who contact me astonished at this icing because their previous recipes were much more glue-like.

You will find the best recipe for you but just know they can all be very different! Find the recipe that works best for you!

Royal Icing Tips

I’ve decorated thousands upon thousands of cookies and these are several of the tips, tricks and hacks that I have learned make a difference for me and I hope can be helpful for you! I’m all about efficiency and results! Techniques and consistencies are what we usually focus on but there’s a whole world of icing management that doesn’t get enough attention, so I hope this helps!

Bagging my colors & consistencies

I outline and flood my cookies with one consistency, which is almost always the first step in my decorating. So when I am making my bags of icing, I make a bag of each color I need in my outline/flood consistency. Once I’m done flooding, I dump out each bag and add more powdered sugar to make the next consistency I need. That may be piping, writing, puffy, florals, etc, it just depends on the design.

This way, I have the exact same color for all of my consistencies and all of my consistencies are just how I want them when ready to use them. It also saves on icing overall, versus making several bags of icing in different consistencies.

Changing my consistencies

Bestie, I thicken and thin my consistencies to create whatever consistencies I want for my designs. If I need it thicker, I add a little powdered sugar. If I need to it thinner, I add a little water. I always use a spray bottle for the most precise control. Sometimes the difference between the perfect consistencies can just be 1-2 sprays of water! Don’t be afraid to just adjust your consistency as you need!

Icing bagging

A common question with a super simple answer! To fill my icing bags, I put a piping bag inside a large cup, pour my icing in and use a sewing clip to close. The piping bags I use come with these small clips, so I’ve amassed a fortune of these little gems. Using a large cup keeps your bag open and makes for mess-free bag filling!

When to bag icing

I bag my icing when I’m ready to use it to decorate. Consistencies can thin slightly if sitting for long periods of time and I want my consistencies just how I created them. So I don’t ever bag my icing to use the next day, I bag it when I’m ready to decorate. And if I do need to continue to use icing over several days, I’ll be massaging those bags or possibly even restirring in a bowl to ensure it’s the consistency I still want.

Bag holder

While decorating, I use one (or more) of THESE silicone guys to manage all my bags. They keep the bags tipped up, so icing doesn’t flow out, while also containing any drips. Available in many fun colors, they are helpful helpers for icing bag management and also spatula management while mixing!

royal icing storage & Separation

Royal icing made with meringue powder is good at room temperature for 2 weeks. It is normal for icing to separate after sitting for long periods of time. A simple restir brings your icing back to life. And if needed, you can toss in some powdered sugar and restir if you want to plump up your icing at all.

You can also store your icing in the fridge to slow separation or freeze your icing if you won’t need it soon. Frozen royal icing thaws VERY quickly. If I take a container out of the deep freezer, I’ll be stirring it, coloring and making my consistencies less than 30 minutes later. Super convenient!

What other questions do you have?

These are some of the most commonly asked questions I receive about working with royal icing in general. Consistencies are a whole different ballgame, and we spend A LOT of time on that topic! See my consistency guide for more help there. But do you have other challenges or questions about efficiently working with royal icing? Come hang out with me and thousands of other Besties HERE, so we can dish about it!

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