The Dough Diaries: I'm New to Stenciling with Royal Icing

• Your base (flood) icing must be 100% dry before you can start stenciling on top of it. It also really helps if it is as smooth and even as possible. 
• Stiff icing is best for stenciling with royal icing. Thin or runny icing will smear under the edges of the stencil and ruin the cleanness of your design.
• Don't be stingy with the icing when you're stenciling! Spread a generous amount across the stencil, using it to glue all the edges down. You will scrape off 99% of this icing right back into the bowl, so it won't go to waste. But if you try to spread a tiny amount of icing across the surface of the stencil, you're more likely to force some underneath the edges of the design and end up with messy results. 
• You do not need to necessarily clean your stencil in between every single cookie, but once you can't clearly see the cookie underneath the stencil for proper placement, it's time to clean the stencil.  Also, if you are not moving quickly, and the leftover icing on the stencil starts to crust, you will need to wash the stencil. But all it takes is a quick rinse and pat dry. You can check out our blog post all about this topic here. 

Most beginner cookiers (and even the pros) need to prioritize what they absolutely have to have in order to get the job done, and what would be nice to have. In stenciling with royal icing, that's no different! There are absolutely some things that you just gotta have when you decide to start using royal icing for stenciling on your cookies.

As your cookie baking empire grows, you may want to add some extra tools to your arsenal that can help make your process even better. Here are some great additional tools that are definitely worth adding to your kitchen when considering stenciling.

Just like any other new skill, stenciling with royal icing does take some practice. But I promise, once you get the hang of it, it will feel like second nature. Stay tuned for our next entry into The Dough Diaries!