Fun Shamrock Cookie Decorating Tutuorial

Using a scribe tool or a toothpick, pull the icing out from the light green into the deeper green as shown above.

Then as shown below. drop a line of deep green flood into the light green section, and again using your scribe or toothpick, pull the icing outward.

A couple of tips for success with the wet work:  make sure you wipe your scribe frequently to keep your work clean.  If there is icing built up on your tool, you won't get nice clean lines when you pull it through.  Also, try to work quickly, it will become more difficult to manipulate the icing as time passes.

Now you will set aside to dry for approximately 24 hours depending on your environment. If you are in a very high humidity environment, you make need longer, if you are in a very dry environment, you may be able to package or store your cookies sooner.  After your cookie is dry, you can store in an airtight container or cello bags for up to two weeks.  

Royal Icing Recipe:

4 Cups Icing Sugar-Sifted after you measure
1/3 Cup room temp water
3 Tbsp Meringue Powder
Flavouring- a Teaspoon or so in your flavour of choice, just ensure that your flavouring is oil free.

Whisk together water and meringue powder until powder is dissolved and mixture is frothy.  Add flavouring, and icing sugar.  Mix on low setting for about 5 minutes.  Low on my mixer is number 2.  If you find your icing isn't getting fluffy, flip to medium, setting 3-4, for about 3--40 seconds.  When icing is done, it should be matte, thick and fluffy.  Alot of recipes will state to mix on high, but I don't like to mix on high due to the risk of over mixing.  If icing is over mixed, it wil not set.

****This is not the recipe I currently use for my cookies, but it is the recipe I used when I first began decorating cookies.  This recipe will work just fine and is quite good, if you are interested in trying the recipe I use, it is included in all of my classes and with my colour guide.

Colouring your icing:

If you are a beginner, of course use whatever food colouring that is readily available to you, but if you would like to invest in good quality products, I do recommend Americolor Gels.  Lower quality gels tend to bleed so this is one of the things you will need to keep in mind when purchasing your food colouring.  Another thing to keep in mind is a little goes a long way.  Start small, and your colours will deepen with time and also they will dry darker.  Give your colours at least an hour or two to develop, even overnight for deeper shades.  Last tip, for white icing, I always add white colour to get a true white.  This helps with battling colour bleed as well.

Colour your icing straight out of the mixer before making different consistencies.  To mute bold colours, I use browns, ivory, and sometimes a bit of black.  Use these sparingly.  To get your two shades of green, prepare the darker one first, then add some of the dark green icing to some of the base icing out of the mixer.  You will then have two greens that are the same colour, just a different tint.

If you would like to take the guess work out of colour mixing, I have created a guide that is jam packed full of colour mixing formulas using americolor gels for the most part.  If you are interested in this guide, please click here: The Millers Wife Royal Icing Colour Guide

Consistencies Required:

Pipe Consistency:  You are looking for a soft peak.  So when you pull your spoon out of the icing, it comes to a peak then curls over.  This is similar to the consistency of toothpaste.  I use this consistency for all outlining, details and text.  To achieve this consistency you will add VERY small amounts of water to your coloured icing.  Once you have reached a soft peak consistency, pull out a small amount, a couple tablespoons, and bag it in a tipless piping bag. 

Flood Consistency: This is used for filling in the cookie and is similar to shampoo or honey in its consistency.  You will add small amounts of water to achieve this consistency, once your icing runs off your spoon like shampoo, bag it in a tipless piping bag.   Some people use a second method, so when you run a butter knife through your icing, it should take about 8-10 seconds to level out completely.  This is a good place to start for a beginner.  My icing is probably closer to 5 second icing, but using a thinner consistency, you run the risk of icing overflows so I recommend starting at about 10.

If you are a beginner, I would recommend using a spray bottle to add water.  It is very easy to go too far with how much water you add.  If you do go too far, you can add small amounts of icing sugar back into your icing to achieve desired consistency.

Royal Icing Recipe:

4 Cups Icing Sugar-Sifted after you measure
1/3 Cup room temp water
3 Tbsp Meringue Powder
Flavouring- a Teaspoon or so in your flavour of choice, just ensure that your flavouring is oil free.

Whisk together water and meringue powder until powder is dissolved and mixture is frothy.  Add flavouring, and icing sugar.  Mix on low setting for about 5 minutes.  Low on my mixer is number 2.  If you find your icing isn't getting fluffy, flip to medium, setting 3-4, for about 30-40 seconds.  When icing is done, it should be matte, thick and fluffy.  Alot of recipes will state to mix on high, but I don't like to mix on high due to the risk of over mixing.  If icing is over mixed, it wil not set.

****This is not the recipe I currently use for my cookies, but it is the recipe I used when I first began decorating cookies.  This recipe will work just fine and is quite good, if you are interested in trying the recipe I use, it is included in all of my classes and with my colour guide.

Colouring your icing:

If you are a beginner, of course use whatever food colouring that is readily available to you, but if you would like to invest in good quality products, I do recommend Americolor Gels.  Lower quality gels tend to bleed so this is one of the things you will need to keep in mind when purchasing your food colouring.  Another thing to keep in mind is a little goes a long way.  Start small, and your colours will deepen with time and also they will dry darker.  Give your colours at least an hour or two to develop, even overnight for deeper shades.  Last tip, for white icing, I always add white colour to get a true white.  This helps with battling colour bleed as well.

Colour your icing straight out of the mixer before making different consistencies.  To mute bold colours, I use browns, ivory, and sometimes a bit of black.  I also love to add small amounts of blue to my greens, but this is a personal preference. Use these colours very sparingly, use a toothpick to add them eve.  They are just used to soften and/or enhance your end goal colour.  To get your two shades of green, prepare the darker one first, then add some of the dark green icing to some of the base icing out of the mixer.  You will then have two greens that are the same colour, just a different tint.

If you would like to take the guess work out of colour mixing, I have created a guide that is jam packed full of colour mixing formulas using americolor gels for the most part.  If you are interested in this guide, please click here: The Millers Wife Royal Icing Colour Guide

Consistencies Required:

Pipe Consistency:  You are looking for a soft peak.  So when you pull your spoon out of the icing, it comes to a peak then curls over.  This is similar to the consistency of toothpaste.  I use this consistency for all outlining, details and text.  To achieve this consistency you will add VERY small amounts of water to your coloured icing.  Once you have reached a soft peak consistency, pull out a small amount, a couple tablespoons, and bag it in a tipless piping bag. 

Flood Consistency: This is used for filling in the cookie and is similar to shampoo or honey in its consistency.  You will add small amounts of water to achieve this consistency, once your icing runs off your spoon like shampoo, bag it in a tipless piping bag.   Some people use a second method, so when you run a butter knife through your icing, it should take about 8-10 seconds to level out completely.  This is a good place to start for a beginner.  My icing is probably closer to 5 second icing, but using a thinner consistency, you run the risk of icing overflows so I recommend starting at about 10.

If you are a beginner, I would recommend using a spray bottle to add water.  It is very easy to go too far with how much water you add.  If you do go too far, you can add small amounts of icing sugar back into your icing to achieve desired consistency.

Roll Out Cookie Recipe:

Ingredients

1 Cup Salted Butter-room temp
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract½ teaspoon almond extract (the real stuff, no artificial)
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder*** -see notes below regarding spread
A pinch of salt
3 cups all purpose flour

Method
Preheat oven to 350 FIn the bowl of your mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and sugar until smooth, light and fluffy (about 3 minutes)

Beat in egg and extractsIn a separate bowl combine dry ingredients

Add a little at a time to wet ingredients

Mix until dough comes together and sides of mixer are clean (dough is all clinging to your paddle)

Remove dough and chill for about 45 minutes, you can chill longer, but you will have to let the dough sit out until it becomes workable, possibly 20-30 minutes, making sure it is still cool to the touch.

After 45 minutes, divide dough into workable batches. Roll out onto lightly floured surface. I usually roll my cookies to 3/8-inch thickness, you can use a rolling pin with guides, or I just use 2 pieces’ of doweling.

If you prefer, you can roll un-chilled dough between sheets of parchment or silicone mats, chill, then cut your shapes out of the chilled sheets. Whichever method works.

Cut your shapes and place on your parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheets. Try to keep the size of the cookie on each tray relatively close to ensure an even bake. After you have cut your shapes, if your dough is no longer cool, you can slip your pans into the freezer for approximately 3 minutes before putting in the oven.

Bake for 11-13 minutes. You are looking for the top of the cookie to be matte, no longer shiny and looks set. Let cool on tray for 4 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack until completely cooled.

Store in airtight container for up to two days before decorating. They do freeze well undecorated; I freeze in Ziploc freezer bags and pull out as needed.This recipe yields approximately 12-15 cookies depending on your size. 

*** This recipe as is does spread a bit, in order to battle this, I use perforated mats. To reduce or eliminate spread without mats, simply reduce or omit the baking powder. Adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to your flour mixture also helps. There are also lots of “no spread” recipes online if you choose to have a look before making a decision on your recipe. I prefer the recipe as is because I like the texture of the cookie better with the baking powder added.