Royal icing transfers are icing motifs that you can make weeks (sometimes months if stored correctly) ahead of time to use on future projects! When you go to craft stores and see icing embellishments for purchase, those are essentially icing transfers or sometimes candies. There is no shame in buying premade decos! Amazon and Michaels always has a huge seasonal selection! Free templates that I provide are at the bottom of the post 🙂

Making your own can be fun, but depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, it does take some time. If you have a large batch of cookies you need to do, and you want to try your hand at icing transfers, scheduling time weeks or months in advance to work on the details can save you time in the long run.

Here are some cookies I made recently which feature transfers:

Transfer templates can be easily made in any software you’d like with the desired shape (i.e. photos in MS word and print them out), and you are  more than free to google for free and paid ones, OR I offer select templates you can purchase HERE

The steps for making transfer is simple:

1. Print out your template.
2. Attach tracing layer to template (I like to use Washi tape on the edges) for piping your icing directly onto–you can use any of the following methods:
   • Parchment Paper Sheets – precut, easy, the most accessible — here are the top ones from Amazon. (this is where I buy mine)
     • If you are piping onto parchment paper, do NOT put these in a dehydrator to quick dry as the parchment curls and your transfer will come out uneven on the bottom and your transfer may not dry flat, causing breakage with adhering transfer to cookie
   • Clear Transparency Paper HERE (which I often also use in my Silhouette machine to cut my own stencils): this is my favorite way to pipe transfers. The material is super clear, I can cut the transparency paper to size, and they are sturdy enough so I can stick these into the dehydrator to speed up the drying process, and the do not curl as the icing dries.  For recommendations on dehydrators, please see my RESOURCE blog post.
   • Acetate is easy to use, cut to your desired sizze and food safe
   • You can also use Cello Bags
   • Clear Sheet Protectors such as THESE
3. Pipe your pattern on the transfer medium/tracing layer.
4. Let fully dry (I like to wait at least 24 hrs, leaving it uncovered), peel/pop off GENTLY; store in an airtight container until ready to use. Fully dried icing decorations can be stored for months. Not need to fridge or freeze these.

When ready to you, you may adhere these directly onto freshly piped icing flood layer (for the smoothest look) or you can also dab a little glue on the back to adhere to a dried surface– up to you, and also depends on the shape, size, etc. Play with it.

I did make a detailed video showing you my method and process:

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There are endless ways to use icing transfers, get creative and don’t limit yourself.

Use larger sized transfers to create designs on cookies, like how I created these Shiba Inu icing transfers:

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A post shared by Lisa He ? (@borderlandsbakery) on Aug 15, 2018 at 3:47pm PDT

And even beyond that, make icing transfers and use them any time as practice “cookies” without having to actually bake cookies. This is a great way to use up leftover icing and reduce waste. All you have to do is trace your cookie cutter on your parchment, pipe and let dry fully. Peel off and store until you need to use them!

Consistencies for your transfers are very similar to what you’d normally use for any other cookie decorations. My preference is to use as thick of an icing consistency as possible. This usually means a 20-25 second icing for anything that needs to settle smoothly (with the help of a scribe), and toothpaste or even thicker consistency for 3-D shapes and flowers/leaves.

Lastly, you can use transfers as “just for fun” candies! Flavor your royal icing transfer unique flavors and give them away as fun treats.

To make your own Paint-Your-Own cookie dots, we have a free template HERE.

To make your own Christmas Light Bulk templates, we have a free template HERE.

To make your own templates from scratch, find line art or clip art online (and sometimes you do need to pay for them), size in MS work or procreate/some other image or word processing tool and print.

Hope you had fun reading this post! If you have any additional questions, drop me a line via my contact form 🙂

Cheers!

PS- If you’ve made it this far.. a quick note that this is our FIRST published blog post on our new website platform! And I know when I sneakily launched last week, many of you missed the sale… so I’m reinstating the 20% off for all NEW orders placed from now and onward until Wednesday evening midnight PST on July 17th 2019. Does not apply to orders already placed. Use coupon code 20NEW during checkout! I’ve added a few new items to the shop, so do check it out! Lots of love.