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Border Vs Flood Icing: What's The Difference When Decorating Cookies?

Looking at the offerings at your neighborhood bakery, it can be easy to feel that the creativity and attention to detail achieved by professional bakers is unattainable by us mere mortals. But as with any craft, an artist is only as good as their tools, and in a baker's case, that includes icing (learn about the important differences between icing and frosting here). There are a few different types of icing out there, and what type is used depends on what's being decorated. When it comes to cookies, most bakers opt for royal icing, which is made with egg whites, sugar, and water. The first step on your journey to cookie-decorating mastery is learning how to throw together a simple royal icing — the next is learning how to turn it into border and flood icing. 

Border icing and flood icing are core techniques for cookie decorators, and they work exactly like they sound: Border icing is used to create outlines and sharp edges in a design, while flood icing fills in the negative space the border leaves behind. Both types of icing are made from royal icing, and by adjusting the ingredients, you can give each icing the texture that makes it unique. 

Border icing is for precise detail

Also known as piping icing, border icing is thicker than flood icing, which is what allows it to hold its shape. To create an icing with the right consistency for making structured lines and shapes, fold a small amount of water into some royal icing. The final product should be paste-like, but still soft enough to flow through a piping bag. 

You can generally use any thickness of icing with any piping bag tip, but border icing is typically used with smaller tips to create thin lines. Border icing is best for adorning your cookies with writing, intricate patterns, and other small details. Or, you can use the thick icing to create eye-catching textures on your cookies. This can have pros and cons: The noticeable impasto means that any slip-ups while decorating will be visible, but with the right piping tips, you can make really cool designs like three dimensional stars or animals with fluffy fur. A basic piping bag kit like this one from Amazon should provide everything you need to get started. Piping bags are a great have for any baker, along with these essential baking tools

Flood icing creates a smooth surface

Flood icing is made by adding more and more water to royal icing until it achieves a runny consistency. If border icing is a thick paint, flood icing is a thin wash or glaze. The point of flood icing is to be able to quickly fill in large patches of cookie without having to spend an hour piping everything. Another bonus of flood icing is that once it's dry, it has a shiny, glossy finish that gives cookies a professional look. Since flood icing is extra runny, it's good to keep it in a squeeze bottle rather than a piping bag. 

A popular method for using border and flood icing together is to use the border icing to draw an outline on the cookie of your design, then use the flood icing to literally flood the outline, leaving a shiny final product. You can also use flood icing on its own to completely coat cookies with icing. Just fill a bowl with the flood icing, and dip the cookies in face down. Regardless of the type of icing you use, don't decorate hot cookies or the icing may melt. When making cookies to decorate you should not only chill them before they go in the oven, but afterwards as well! 

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