#cookie advice

Okay, so we’re talking about these cookies, but any cookies using similar icing will work.

So first off, the people who made these used candy melt, but if it were me, I’d want to use royal icing, because that’s what I use for cookie decorating. It’s easier to work with, cheaper, and can be made quickly in small or large amounts in incredibly versatile colors with gel food colors. 

Typically, If you’re going to outline in a dark color, you do that first and preferably with a more dense (higher ratio of powdered sugar), then let it dry a bit. Fill with the looser icing (videos and baking websites will often call it “slip”. 

The consistency you’ll want is when you stir it and ribbon it back into the bowl, it should take maybe 3-4 seconds to dissipate back into the bowl. The thicker outline icing should take up to 6 or 7 seconds. (if you want to do one of those designs you see sometimes where people drip colors into another and drag patterns (like hearts or stars) for a smooth finish, you use outlines of the same or contrasting thick icing then two colors of slip or slightly thicker slip of the same consistency (different consistency and you can get an unfortunate running effect).

Anyhoo. Outline in the dark color. Fill in the light color. If you have an embedded darker color, drip it in and let it keep dripping in until it is in the area you want it to fill. Remember Archimedes, and volume will keep increasing as you add, so if you’re going to be adding lots of let’s say black and orange in the koi after the white, don’t fill the white to the top of the outline and maybe make the outline bold and tall bc there may be a lot of icing coming :) 

Start with a burned or the least pretty cookie and use it to practice your technique. Work up to your prettiest. Start also on the simplest style so that by the time you do a koi, you’ve practiced on some lily pads and basic outlines and fill are easy.