How to create Royal Icing Transfers

Materials Needed:

• Royal icing (in various colors)
• Piping bags or parchment paper cones
• Wax paper or parchment paper
• Food coloring (optional)
• Piping tips (typically a #1 or #2 tip for fine details)
• Toothpick or scribe tool (for fixing details)
• Scissors (for cutting the piping bag tips)
• Cookie design template (optional)

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Royal Icing:

   • Make sure your royal icing has the right consistency: stiff enough to hold its shape for piping, but not too thick that it can't be smoothed or spread slightly. You can test by piping a line and seeing if it holds its shape without spreading.
   • Divide the icing into bowls if you want to use multiple colors for your designs.

2. Create Your Design:

   • You can either draw your design directly on the wax paper or use a printed template underneath the wax paper. If you're using a template, place the wax paper over it so the design shows through.
   • Using a food-safe marker, lightly trace the outlines of the design on the wax paper if necessary.

3. Fill Your Piping Bags:

   • Fill your piping bags or parchment cones with royal icing. If using multiple colors, divide your icing into separate bags.
   • Cut the tip of the piping bag so you have a fine, controlled stream of icing (for detailed work, aim for a small hole).

4. Pipe the Outline:

   • Start by piping the outline of your design with the stiff royal icing. Work in small sections, and allow each section to dry slightly before moving on to the next to avoid smearing.

5. Flood the Design:

   • Once the outline is dry to the touch (you can give it about 10-15 minutes), use a thinner consistency of royal icing to flood the design. You can adjust the thickness by adding a bit of water to your royal icing.
   • Use a toothpick or scribe tool to gently spread and smooth the icing to fill in the outline completely.

6. Let It Dry:

   • Allow the royal icing transfers to dry completely. This can take anywhere from 4 hours to overnight, depending on the thickness of the icing.
   • If you're in a hurry, you can speed up the process with a fan, but be cautious of drying too quickly, which can cause cracking.

7. Remove the Transfers:

   • Once the transfers are fully dry, carefully peel them off the wax paper. If you’ve used a template, the design should stay intact as long as the royal icing has dried properly.
   • Gently lift each piece from the wax paper with a pair of tweezers or your fingers, and it’s ready to be applied to your cookies!

8. Apply to Cookies:

   • To attach the royal icing transfers to your cookies, use a small amount of royal icing as “glue” on the back of the transfer. Place it gently on the cookie, pressing slightly to ensure it sticks.

Tips:

• Storing RITs: If you're not using the transfers immediately, you can store them in an airtight container to prevent them from drying out further.
• Design Details: For more complex designs, you can pipe smaller elements and let them dry before adding other layers or colors.
• Textures: To add texture, try piping more layers or using different tips to create different effects like ruffles or raised details.

This method is perfect for creating more intricate designs that you want to apply quickly to your cookies without worrying about the drying time of each decoration.

Check out my RIT transfer templates to make creating beautiful designs even easier and more consistent!