You sit down to decorate just to discover that your royal icing is too thick or too thin, or both!
Chances are, your icing isn’t going to be the right consistency. I know, it’s hard to hear! But it’s true. Especially if you’re brand-new to royal icing.
Even as an “expert” cookier, I don’t always get my consistency right. It’s by far the hardest part about cookie decorating. So it’s going to happen, and it’s good to know what to do!
What do you do if your icing is too thick or thin?
First up, you have two options:
1- Leave your icing as is. Make a note of whether it’s too thick or too thin so you can learn for next time!
2- Go back to the kitchen, dump out the icing, fix the consistency and rebag it.
What do I advise in my online classes?
Generally speaking, in my classes I usually advise option 1. There are some occasions when your life will be truly miserable if the icing is very off (like if your flood icing is too thick and you’re trying to do wet on wet) and in that case, I’ll lean more toward fixing it.
But, again, it’s all a learning experience and you are NOT going to get it right on the first try. Or even 10th try. Or maybe even 100th try. So rock your too thick flood icing and just try for better next time 😉
Live and learn! BUT if you do want to fix it…
What to do if your icing is too THICK
This is the easier one to fix!
All you have to do is add a bit more water.
And voila! Good as new.
What to do if your icing is too THIN
This is the harder one to fix.
Why? Because you simply cannot just add more powdered sugar to the icing.
Why not? Because this will mess with the ratio of powdered sugar to meringue powder, which could potentially ruin the icing’s ability to dry correctly.
Now do I occasionally add powdered sugar to my too thin icing as quick fix? Yes, yes I do. But I’m a professional remember 😉
So what DO you do? Ideally, add a spoonful of icing that has not been colored or thinned already.
This is why in all of my class prep I have you set aside any leftover icing to leave it unthinned/undyed. This is saving grace (pun intended) when you over thin your icing! (This is a trick I do myself as well!)
And if you haven’t already, definitely check out my post on all things consistency!