Skip to Content

What is Butter Bleed on Cookies (and How Do I Avoid It)?

By Author thegracefulbaker

Posted on

0 Comments

Alright, let’s chat about one of the most frustrating royal icing cookie problems out there: butter bleed on cookies. You’ve baked your perfect sugar cookies, mixed up your icing colors just right, piped everything with love, and then—bam—the next day, you spot weird oily patches or blotchy stains on your icing. UGH.

If this has happened to you, welcome to the world of butter bleed on cookies. It’s a super common issue that can surprise even the most experienced decorators. But the good news? It’s preventable! Once you understand what causes it, you can take steps to stop it in its tracks.

Check out this post if you’re looking for a more comprehensive list of troubleshooting royal icing.

example of butter bleed spots on royal icing

*DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links which means that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase from one of my links. I greatly appreciate your support!

What is Butter Bleed on Cookies?

Butter bleed on cookies happens when the fat (usually butter) from the cookie base seeps into the royal icing after decorating. This oily migration can cause the icing to darken or look wet in random spots, especially if you’re using lighter colors like white, pale pink, or yellow.

And the kicker? It doesn’t usually show up right away. Butter bleed tends to appear several hours after decorating—sometimes overnight—so your cookies might look totally fine at first. It’s like a stealth cookie villain.

Why Does Butter Bleed on Cookies Happen?

There are a few usual suspects behind butter bleed on cookies:

  • Warm cookies + royal icing = trouble. Even a little leftover warmth from baking can make the butter in your cookie more active, leading to bleed.
  • Soft, buttery cookie bases. A super tender cookie is delicious, but it’s also more likely to cause butter bleed on cookies. The richer the dough, the more chance for fat to seep through.
  • Humidity. Moisture in the air keeps cookies soft and makes the butter more mobile, which means you’re more likely to see butter bleed on cookies in the summer or rainy seasons.
example of butter bleed spots on royal icing

How to Prevent Butter Bleed on Cookies

Now let’s talk solutions—because we are not about to let butter ruin our cookie art!

  1. Let your cookies cool completely. Like truly cool. Not slightly warm. We don’t mess around with this step if we want to prevent butter bleed on cookies. (Note: there are some cookiers that swear by decorating while their cookies are slightly warm still, but I have never understood that!)
  2. Give them a rest. Letting cookies sit for several hours—or even overnight—after baking helps the butter settle back into the dough.
  3. Avoid stacking cookies. Let them cool in a single layer on a wire rack to reduce trapped moisture and prevent softening (which leads to—you guessed it—more butter bleed on cookies).
  4. Use a fan or dehydrator. Dry that flood layer of icing quickly to create a crust that keeps the butter from creeping in.
  5. Consider your cookie recipe. If butter bleed on cookies keeps happening, it might be time to test a less buttery dough or one that uses a butter-shortening blend.
  6. Store with care. Don’t heat-seal or bag your cookies until they’re completely dry and firm. Trapping moisture can reactivate that butter.

Final Thoughts on Butter Bleed on Cookies

Here’s the thing—butter bleed on cookies is annoying, but it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It just means you’re still learning the dance between cookies and icing (and sometimes humidity and butter want to cut in).

If you’ve experienced butter bleed on cookies, you are not alone. We’ve all been there. With a few small tweaks to your process, you can seriously reduce how often it happens—and get back to creating the clean, crisp cookie designs you love.

And remember: even if butter bleed does show up, the cookies will still taste amazing. Because let’s be real… butter is still delicious, even when it misbehaves 😉

Want to try cookie decorating?

Try out one of my online cookie decorating classes!

Other posts you might be interested in: