Honest Review: Betty Crocker Decorating Tips

Let's explore the Betty Crocker Decorating Icing and the Betty Crocker Decorating Tips! I'm going to review both products and show you how to use all the decorating tips available in this set. I'll explain the differences between the decorating icing and the typical Betty Crocker frosting and share my thoughts on the taste of this Decorating Icing! This blog post is not sponsored, but it doesn't contain Amazon affiliate links (from which by clicking I may receive a commission.

I purchased the Betty Crocker Decorating Icing from my local grocery store. I grabbed white, but there are a lot of other colors of the Decorating Icing. The icing comes in an eight-ounce pack, which is half the amount of the 16-ounce container of Betty Crocker Frosting that is typically available on the shelf.

When comparing the ingredients, I noticed one major difference: the decorating icing contains vegetable shortening. If you've ever made American-style buttercream from scratch, you may recognize vegetable shortening as one of the main ingredients if butter isn't used as an alternative. It is the second ingredient in the decorating icing, listed behind sugar. The vegetable shortening thickens the icing and makes it more tolerable to the heat of your hands, as this pack is meant to be used in your hands.

I also noticed the use of titanium dioxide, which gives the decorator icing its bright white color. Both contain artificial flavors and preservatives, but both are also listed as gluten-free. The packaging says that the decorating icing tastes delicious.

This icing tastes pretty good overall. It does have a light vanilla flavor to it. This icing is also thicker than the typical Betty Crocker Frosting, and it feels slightly grainy on my tongue, but the texture dissolves pretty quickly.

Now, let's take a closer look at the Decorating Tips. I purchased the Betty Crocker Decorating Tips from the same grocery store. The packaging says that these tips are best used with the Betty Crocker Decorating Icing, and the back of the Decorating Icing tells us to use it with the Betty Crocker Decorating Tips. The back of the packaging shows some great ideas for decorating cakes and cupcakes with these tips.

When opening the package, the decorating tips are attached to each other. There's also a practice board showing several piping techniques and some detailed instructions on how you should hold the bag to achieve these techniques.

Whenever you're holding a piping bag, you can either hold it at a 90-degree angle, with it touching the surface as shown on the left, or slightly above the surface as shown on the right.

The second angle that you can hold the Decorating Icing bag at is a 45-degree angle, and depending on your technique, you would hold the bag in many different ways. A 45-degree angle with a bag facing you like this is another way to properly achieve certain piping techniques.

Now, let's explore the piping tips in more detail. The piping tips are all attached to a single element, but they can be easily snapped apart and separated. This set includes a #21 tip, a #12 tip, a #352 tip, a #5 tip, a #233 tip, a #47 tip, a #3 tip, and also a 1M tip. These tip numbers are pretty universal and match up with Wilton and Ateco tip numbers. Looking at the 233 tip or grass tip in more detail, you can see how it compares to a metal 233 tip by Wilton.

The tips in the Betty Crocker set do not have the numbers indicated on the size of them like the metal tips do. So this is one downside that I noticed. The guide that comes with the decorating tips indicates that we can use tips #3 and #5 for lettering lines and outlines. We can use tip #3 , #5, and #12 for dots. We can use tip #5 and tip #12 to make beads.

We can use tip #352 to make leaves, leaf borders, and ruffles. We can use tip #233 to make grass and hair. We can use tip #47 to make basket weave and other borders. We can use tip #21 to make stars, shells, and shell borders. And we can make larger decorations, such as large stars and rosettes, by using tip #1M.

As I mentioned earlier, the Decorating Tips do come with a mini practice board, which you will find very, very useful. To use the practice board, you must place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper over the top before piping the icing onto it.

To get started, gently knead the bag of Decorating Icing before opening it and preparing it with a tip. Twist off the top and simply twist the decorating tip onto the bag. The threads positioned right inside of the tip make this really easy to do. To change the piping tips, I simply need to twist the first tip off and twist a second tip on. The traditional way of preparing a bag with a decorating tip requires much, much more effort. So I see this as a major benefit of the Decorating Icing and Decorating Tip product combo.

Next, gather and twist the Decorating Icing bag as indicated and prepare to start piping. I've secured my parchment paper with some tape as I work over the practice board. I'm using tip #3 to pipe a dot and a line, holding my bag at a 90-degree angle.

When I reach the letters, I hold my bag at a 45-degree angle. This practice board is okay for what it is, but I think that it is a little on the small side. As you're working, be sure to take your time and try to keep your piped decorations directly over the top of the technique that's below it.

Now I'm switching to a #5 tip to pipe some dots. This is a 90-degree technique, so it's better to see this angle from the side. The decorating icing is very, very thick; it is much thicker than the typical Betty Crocker Frosting. This additional thickness allows the decorating icing to actually hold its shape.

Now I'm switching to a #12 tip to pipe even larger dots. This icing does have a crusting property to it, meaning that if I allow the icing to sit, it will harden just slightly enough for me to pat down the points that you see on the dots I just piped.

Now I'm using the #352 tip to pipe some leaves. The proper way to position this tip is to imagine it as an open fish mouth, and the open fish mouth should point down towards the surface like this. You don't want it turned onto the side like this. With the tip in the proper position, I start to pipe the leaves and move slightly back and forth to create a really subtle ruffle to the leaves; this makes them look more lifelike.

Next, I use tip #21 to pipe a star at a 90-degree angle, and now I'm going to try zig-zags with a 45-degree angle. Again, if you're left-handed, you're going to start on the right and move to the left.

Next, I switch from my #21 tip to the #1M tip, and I'm going to pipe a larger star at a 90-degree angle, and I'm going to make a swirl flower at a 90-degree angle, but with a slight twist.

Next, I'll try making some grass with the #233 tip. Make sure that it is at a 90-degree angle, pipe very gently, and slowly move up with relaxed pressure. Again, this tip can be used to create grass or a hair effect.

Now I'm going to switch to my #47 tip. You'll notice that this tip has a serrated side and a flat side. With the serrated side facing up, I begin the process of creating a basket weave technique. The tip is held at a 45-degree angle, facing myself to make the vertical lines and facing parallel to my body to make the horizontal lines.

And here is what the completed practice board looks like. When you're done using the icing, simply remove the tip and replace the top. Since I've opened the pack, I will be storing the Decorating Icing in the refrigerator, but make sure to allow the icing to warm to room temperature before you use it again!

I hope you enjoyed this Betty Crocker Decorating Tip review. Leave a comment or question below!