Decorating with Royal Icing
Royal icing can be used to create colourful decorations on top of cookies. Use a ‘run out’, as shown here, to maintain a clean outline.
1/// Fit a piping (icing) bag with a number 2 round nozzle and, using a medium stiff–peak royal icing, make a ‘run out’ by creating an outline offset slightly inside from the edge of the cookie.
2/// Fit another piping bag with a number 2 round nozzle and fill it with a softer, runny consistency of royal icing and flood the outlined shape to create a coloured section. If air bubbles appear on the surface, prick them with a cocktail stick or toothpick.
3/// Squeeze small drops of different colours to add more decoration.
To create the heart decoration shown above, pipe some dots and then drag a cocktail stick or toothpick through them.
TIP
It is important to start with the correct icing consistency.
If you want to pipe a decoration then make the royal icing a stiff-peak consistency.