Queer Surface of Royal Icing - Looks Like Silicon Carbide Paper

Polly, none of the three images you tried to add were revealing; they were actually broken links, so I deleted them. Can you try re-uploading them? They need to be added as attachments to the bottom of your comment. Once you do that, you then select the option to insert them into the text. But if they are not first added as attachments (and those attachments saved), they will not reveal. Thanks.

sorry i upload them again.

 

Great! They're showing now.

 

I'll let others weigh in with advice, as I don't work with this recipe and have never experienced this issue with my icing. I've seen it with other meringue powder-based icings though, and have some theories! But let's see what others say first.

I don't use this recepie but have experienced this outcome also a few times, black always the worst. Though I am not 100% sure, I think humidity is the reason. Either when I have thinned the icing too much or if the general air humidity is too high. My guess is that the humidity somehow reacts with the color particles and this makes the sugar build large crystals. As I see you live in Hong Kong, that would also go with my theory.

Now I prefer the icing as thick as possible, even for flooding, and additionally dry the flooded cookies in the oven at appr. 25°C for an hour or so. The problem has not occured over the last couple of months - but maybe it will again in summer.

But hopefully there is someone here who knows more about chemistry and has a better explanation? I am also highly interested!

I have experienced it, and I believe it is the humidity too.   Fans and dehidrators helps to solve it.   Time ago I experienced it too with a meringe powder I bought, but I used it in other recipes that I usually did and none worked.  So  as soon as I change the meringe powder the problem ended.

 

I am not sure if this is helpful, but this is what the underside of my RI transfers look like after they dry. That would work well with the moisture theory because underneath takes the longest to dry, and moisture usually settles in the bottom of the icing container/bag. (I still want to do a Mythbusters style investigation about the science of cookies, lol.)

It would be great to keep this texture in your box of tricks if you manage to figure it out, because it's a great texture for things like stones, if it's on purpose.

the humidity seems quite high that day,

the third photo hair part, i left them dry overnight, still wet to touch...

i use the fan to make it dry faster the next day....

i make it would be better if i open the air-conditioner when i make it...

 

it seem won't happen when i use RI on cookies

my wedding ring cookie didn't have this issue that i use same recipe

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/374009944028925594/

 

I only can use wilton's meringue powder,

because it is very difficult to find other brand it Hong Kong...

 

I've had this problem in the past too, especially with black or really deep colors, but since I started adding a little corn syrup to the icing (2 Tbsp per 2-pound bag of powdered sugar) and drying in front of a fan or in a dehydrator, it doesn't seem to happen. 

I know it's not what you intended, but I kind of like the way it looks!

i just pick the transfers to make cookies yesterday,

they broken and crumble

only the black color...the texture like sponge

it startled me