The Toothpick Tip That Prevents Bubbles In Your Cookie's Icing

We've all seen them, you know, the uber-fancy, beautiful sugar cookies with intricate royal icing designs on top. They're a delight to the eye, and no doubt delicious. But how do decorators get them so perfect? The answer is much smaller than you may think: A toothpick. 

Yes, a simple toothpick is what even professional bakers use when making these cookies. The toothpick is most often used when making the background of the design, when "flooding" the cookie. To flood a cookie, you simply use a thin consistency royal icing to outline the area you want to cover with a particular icing tip (usually a #1), then fill in that area with the same icing, but using a different tip (usually a #2). Don't worry if this part is messy or uneven because the star is about to enter: Take a toothpick and use it to fill in any gaps in the icing or to identify and pop any bubbles you see. Once you've done this, it's time for toothpick round two; pick up your cookie and gently tap it against your hand or work surface to bring any remaining bubbles to the top. Once they have surfaced, use the toothpick to pop them, then let your icing dry. Now you've got a perfectly smooth icing base, all thanks to a small little kitchen tool.

Decorating with royal icing can be difficult, so be sure to start with the basics before moving on to those gorgeous, but difficult to master, cookies. First, know what kind of icing (in terms of consistency) you need for different parts of the cookie. For flooding, you're going to want to use that thinner icing (smooth enough to spread out on its own but thick enough to stay on the cookie). Once you are ready to start designing, change to a thicker icing by adding more confectioners sugar, as this will allow your designs to stay in place much better. And be sure to store any extra icing properly.

Consistency is important and small things, like food coloring, can ruin it quickly. Of course, most people want to make cookies with more than just white icing, but it's important to know what to use for proper coloring. Gel coloring is generally recommended over liquid coloring; both work, but gel coloring provides a more striking color while also allowing you to easily control the consistency.

You can also invest in some fun baking tools to make the process easier on yourself and provide a unique design. One tool to consider is an edible pen, which gives you more control — a "drawn-on" look is easier than mixing different colored icing. Whether you pipe or draw, stencils (even ones made of wax paper) or a small projector can also be helpful in perfecting those lines and designs. But don't forget the simple toothpick, the unsung hero of cookie decorating.