The Iced Queen

Farewell, 2012…

2012-12-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I wrote these two sentences: "My New Year's Resolution is to attempt to master as many cake decorating skills as possible, and to share what I learn here. I have a wild idea that I might be able to come up with 365 posts by this time next year." When I wrote that I was being pretty serious; I rarely come up with resolutions I don't think I can stick to, because in my mind a resolution is like a Lenten vow that lasts for at least a year (which is why you'll never hear me resolving to give up caffeine or be asleep by midnight every night or some other impossible goal that I'll fail at by January 2nd).

When I started this blog, I made a little side-bet with myself that I'd post something, ANYTHING, by midnight every day, which I'm sure was annoying to my subscribers, who probably got used to posts that read something like "Sorry today's post is all photos; I SWEAR I'll write in the instructions later." That gum paste Easter lily I was working on during the thunderstorm haunts me to this day; I STILL haven't written the directions to that one, but I figure I have a couple months before people start bugging me for them (I'll have to check the calendar to see when Easter is in 2013). I'm dreading that a bit, because I haven't worked with gum paste in FOREVER. I got kind of burned out on gum paste. I don't care what you've heard about it being edible; it tastes vile and has a revulsive consistency. I think for a thing to be considered edible it has to at least be palatable as well (and how that stuff earned the Kosher symbol is beyond me).

If you've followed along with this blog for any amount of time, you've probably noticed that once I got into royal icing, I never looked back. I thought of my nearly exclusive focus on royal icing like this: if you want to learn how to make things out of gum paste and fondant, head for Amazon and pick up any one of the gazillion books on those substances or watch any episode of Cake Boss or America's Next Great Baker; just watch and learn (almost every project/challenge has SOMETHING to do with fondant). If you want to learn how to do tricky things with royal icing, stalk my blog for an hour; surely you'll find SOMETHING to do with that huge Tupperware tub of icing left over from your Wilton class. I still haven't given up on the dream of someday publishing a book on royal icing; I'm hoping the title will be something descriptive like Easy Royal Icing Projects, as opposed to Eddie Spence's book which might as well be titled Insanely Challenging Royal Icing Projects (don't get me wrong; I love this inspiring book, but can't imagine ever being competent enough to attempt half the things in it. Oh, and that link will probably be stale in about a day, because it's out of print and only available on Amazon Marketplace right now, sometimes for as much as $500). So, here's my plea: if any of you "know somebody" who might be able to help me turn this blog into a book, please write me!

Here's what's next for The Iced Queen (both the blog and the person): a sizable break. As I think of new projects or acquire new skills, I'll certainly blog about them (I'm keeping the sweet domain name theicedqueen.com forever; if you found this post because you're trying to buy it, move on; I doubt you could afford the amount I'd surrender it for). I might add a little more to this post, if I think of an anecdote or two that should have been here. I actually really feel melancholy right now; this is the first evening in months that hasn't involved me sticking "a square of parchment paper to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick"; my dusting pouch is probably wondering where I am. Anyway, I want to thank you for visiting this blog; I'm grateful to you whether you read one post or 300.
Happy New Year!
XO, Denise

Royal Icing Orchid

2012-12-30T23:38:00.000-08:00

I don't blame you if your initial reaction to this post is "That doesn't look like an orchid." Well, since there are as many as 26,049 currently accepted species, I picked this one at random. All you'll need to pipe a basic white orchid is stiff consistency royal icing, a petal tip #104, a flower nail, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the petal tip with the wide end touching the center of the surface and the narrow end angled outward and upward. Pipe while moving the tip in an upside-down "U" motion. Finish by drawing the tip back toward the center, stopping pressure and pulling the tip away.

Repeat twice for a triad of petals. Taper the ends (especially of the bottom two) with your fingertips after touching them to the dusting pouch.

Pipe the two side petals. Again, keep the wide side of the tip in the center with the narrow side facing outward and upward. Really allow the icing to fan out in a circular fashion with these two side petals. Here's one…

…and the other. Allow them to firm up for a bit.

I practiced the final petal on my fingertip quite a few times; yummy, yummy practice! Hold the tip with the wide side in the center of the flower and the narrow side of the tip angled sharply upward. Pipe a bowl-shaped petal with the ends meeting in the center. Here's a side view of it…

…and here's a view straight on. When the icing is dry you can brush on some color dust or petal dust. Place several of them in a wreath on a cake and you'll have a lei!

Royal Icing Flamingo OR Swan

2012-12-29T23:47:00.001-08:00

I had a hard time naming this post, because the above photo looks like a mashup of a flamingo AND a swan. I would have called it "flamingo" except I forgot to hook the beak over, and I would have called it "swan" if it was white. With some minor adjustments, you can pipe either one with just a few simple tools. You'll need a round #12 tip, an oval #55 tip, white or pink stiff consistency royal icing, a glue stick, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block, parchment paper squares, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, round toothpicks, and black food coloring like AmeriColor's Soft Gel Paste. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #12 tip just above and at a 45 degree angle to the surface. Squeeze out a ball, then move it along while decreasing pressure to form a teardrop shape. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and adjust the shape of the icing with them if need be.

On a second piece of parchment, pipe a shape like a question mark for the head and neck. Add a little extra shot of icing to the top for the head, then blend the icing with a dusted fingertip.

Allow the icing to firm completely, then attach the head to the body at the base of the neck with a small amount of icing from the #55 tip.

Add dots of black food coloring for eyes with the tip of a round toothpick that you've smashed against the countertop to give it a flat end. Pipe these in pairs for a very cute Valentine's Day cupcake topper (or an homage to John Waters' Pink Flamingos).

Royal Icing Sardines

2012-12-28T23:50:00.000-08:00

A couple years ago I produced a production of the play "Noises Off," which heavily features sardines. If only I'd known how to make these then; what a cute decoration for cast party cupcakes these would have been. All you'll need to pipe sardines, (or, as my husband observed, airplanes), are white stiff consistency royal icing, oval tip #55, round tips #12 and #5, petal tip #101, a flower nail, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, periwinkle Color Dust, silver Pearl Dust, soft decorating brushes, round toothpicks, and black food coloring like AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #12 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Squeeze while moving the tip along for about 1.25".

Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and use them to taper the ends.

Switch to the #55 tip and squeeze out two short bursts of icing for the tail.

Switch to the #101 tip to pipe the fins on the top and bottom. You might want to practice these on a fingertip first; they're a little hard to explain, but as long as they're more or less the shape of fins your fish should look more like a fish and less like a plane.

Allow the icing to firm up for a few minutes, then apply some of the periwinkle dust along the back with a decorating brush.

Dust the fish completely with the silver dust.

Pipe a dot of icing for the eye with the #5 tip and flatten it slightly with a dusted fingertip.

Paint a line of black dots of food coloring along the body with the pointy end of a toothpick (just dab the toothpick; go easy or you'll pierce the icing).

Smash the other end of the toothpick against the countertop and use it to dab in the pupil of the eye when the icing is fairly hard. Good luck convincing folks that these merely LOOK like sardines; the resemblance does not extend to the taste!

Royal Icing Polar Bears

2012-12-27T23:39:00.000-08:00

The main trick when piping a royal icing bear is doing everything you can to make it NOT look like a royal icing mouse! You'll need white stiff consistency royal icing, round tips #12 and #3, oval tip #55, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, flat toothpicks, and black paste food coloring, like AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #12 tip just above and at a 45 degree angle to the surface. Squeeze out a ball, then move the tip upward and to one side. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch then use them to perfect the shape of the upturned nose, if need be.

Allow the icing to firm up for a few minutes, then switch to the #3 tip to pipe the ears, which are tiny little "c" shapes. Don't make them too big, or the bear will look mouselike!

Switch to the #55 tip to pipe the legs, which are short shots of icing. Adjust with your dusted fingertips as needed.

Paint on the eyes and nose with the end of a flat toothpick. Make sure the features are more oval than round so your creatures will look more like bears than mice! They would look adorable perched on a winter-themed cupcake or some other small dessert.

Royal Icing Yule Log

2012-12-26T22:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight's post is a ridiculously tiny Yule log; it's not even a Yule stick! If you'd like to see the other time I ventured into this type of thing, check out my Yule Stump (it has links to all the various elements like meringue toadstools and royal icing pine cones and needles). This mini Yule log starts life as a Royal Icing Ho-Ho; basically an inch-long line of brown icing piped from a #12 round tip, with a spiral of white icing piped at both ends with a #2 tip.

Pipe the mushroom caps with white icing and a #8 tip. Flatten them slightly with a fingertip after touching it to a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch.

Sprinkle them lightly with cocoa powder.

Pipe a few tiny green leaves with a #65 tip.

Add a few red berries with a #3 round tip.

Lastly, sprinkle some "snow" from your dusting pouch. A perfect dessert for your gingerbread family or perched atop a cupcake or petits fours!

Royal Icing Ribbon Candy

2012-12-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight's post is, like yesterday's, short and sweet; attention to Christmas details has definitely pushed the attention I can pay to my blog to the back seat! One of my favorite candies to decorate gingerbread houses with is ribbon candy, but it always gets so unappetizingly sticky. When you live in a damp climate, ribbon candy sometimes actually comes out of the bag in one giant piece. You can pipe your own rock-hard version with royal icing that should last indefinitely. All you'll need is flat, chiseled tip #150, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the tip so the opening is straight up and down with one side touching the surface. Squeeze steadily while rotating the nail back and forth AND holding the nail at about a 45 degree angle; the angle is what will give the rows of loops down the sides that open, teardrop shape. As you go into piping these loops, increase your pressure slightly so the icing will fan out. All of this action is necessary, or the icing will just zigzag back and forth in a rather flat, unsatisfying way.

Of course, you could stripe the icing in the same way you stripe icing for piping roses; put a few stripes of different colors in there! I hope you had a lovely Christmas, if that's what you were celebrating today.

Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

2012-12-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! Tonight's post is quick and easy; as you can imagine I'm writing this while cooking, baking, finishing wrapping, etc. (and trying to keep the cat out of the milk for Santa). To pipe a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, tape a piece of parchment to a cookie sheet.

Load a #8 round tip to a bag of stiff consistency brown icing. Pipe a candy-cane shaped line of icing.

Pipe a few more branches; no more than 4 or so.

They can vary, of course.

Pipe clusters of #3 round tip short lines for bristles at the ends of the branches.

Lastly, pipe a ball for a red ornament with a #8 round tip. Allow your trees to dry, then slide them off the parchment paper and plant them in cupcakes topped with a swirl of blue buttercream to represent Linus' blanket. Merry Christmas!

Royal Icing Bunny Slippers

2012-12-23T23:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight's post is an homage to "A Christmas Story"; how many of you list that among your favorite holiday films? All you'll need to pipe tiny little bunny slippers just like Ralphie's are stiff consistency royal icing in pink, round tip #12, leaf tip #352, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, round toothpicks, and black food coloring, like AmeriColor's Soft Gel Paste. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #12 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Pipe out a couple of elongated "bean" shapes, curving slightly in the middle and with the ends wider than the center. Touch your fingertip to the dusting pouch and then finesse the icing into shape, if need be. Allow these shapes to firm up for a few minutes.

Hold the tip at a 45 degree angle and just above and behind one of the ends. Squeeze out a ball of icing, then move the tip along for a few millimeters. Stop pressure and pull the tip away.

Tap down the peaks with a dusted fingertip. Allow the icing to firm up for a few minutes.

Hold the #352 tip against the head (with one of the pointy sides facing toward the front of the slipper) and pipe out an ear while moving the tip upward for about half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Use a dusted fingertip to adjust the ears so they lop over.

Pipe the eyes with #3 dots of white icing. Flatten them slightly with a dusted fingertip.

When the white icing is firm, dab on pupils of black food coloring with the tip of a round toothpick that you've smashed against your countertop.

Paint on a tiny triangular nose with the other pointy end of the toothpick. Sorry; tomorrow's tutorial won't be for a leg lamp or a Red Ryder BB Gun!

Royal Icing Kissing Ball

2012-12-22T23:41:00.001-08:00

It's easy to pipe a fairly realistic-looking sprig of mistletoe, but you could also go the route of piping a mistletoe "kissing ball." All you'll need is stiff consistency royal icing in green, white and red, round tips #12 and #3, leaf tip #65, oval tip #55, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #12 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface and pipe out a kiss-shaped dollop of icing about half an inch tall. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap the peak to round it. Set it aside and allow it to dry.

Switch to the #65 tip and start covering the icing with tiny, overlapping leaves.

Continue until you can no longer see the base.

Allow the icing to firm up a bit and pipe a scattering of white #3 dots for berries (you could also use red for holly berries).

Pipe a bow with the #55 tip in any color you like (red or white are fairly traditional). I really have no directions for the bow; just pipe a couple of loops, a short shot of icing for the knot in the middle, and a couple of tails.

Peel away the parchment when the icing is dry and use this to make any holiday dessert that much more festive. You could also use a dab of icing to hang this kissing ball over the door of your gingerbread house.

Royal Icing Puffball Hat

2012-12-21T23:28:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if I've given this post the best name; it's sort of inspired by Stan's hat on South Park. You'll need royal icing in at least two colors, star tip #199, star tip #14, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #199 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface and start squeezing. Move the tip upwards about half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap the peak to round it. Allow this shape (the knitted cap part) to firm up for a while.

Use the #14 tip to pipe a cluster of tiny stars for the puffball.

Pipe a slightly overlapping row of stars around the base of the hat while rotating the nail for the brim (or cuff; not sure what this part is called). You could make little skiers or boarders by piping hats directly onto cake pops.

Royal Icing Loopy Bow

2012-12-20T23:22:00.001-08:00

Loopy fondant bows are easy to make, and loopy royal icing bows are even easier! All you'll need is stiff consistency royal icing in any color, oval tip #57, round tip #12, a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, and a Styrofoam block to rest the nail on. Start by taping a sheet of parchment paper to the cookie sheet.

Pipe dozens of 1/2" "teardrops" with the tip #57. Allow them to firm up for an hour or two.

They're ready for action when they can be removed easily from the paper by sliding an offset spatula underneath them.

Stick a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Switch to the #12 tip and pipe a spiral of icing about 1/2" wide and a little over 1/2" tall.

Quickly, before the icing has chance to dry, stick as many loops into the icing as you can. Angle them in all different directions. Work from the base up. I was able to fit 6 loops around the base and then tucked in another 8 above.

Peel away the parchment square when the icing is dry, and use this loopy bow to instantly add more height and festivity to any cupcake, Rice Krispy Treat, brownie, etc!

Royal Icing Gumdrop

2012-12-19T23:06:00.001-08:00

Here's another royal icing version of a candy frequently found on gingerbread houses: gumdrops. I'd prefer to not use the real thing because they sure do get gummy, and quickly (in my damp climate, anyway). All you'll need is a round tip (I used #12), stiff consistency royal icing in any festive color, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, colored sprinkles, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Squeeze out a dollop of icing while moving the tip straight up. After about half an inch, stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap the icing into the iconic gumdrop shape if need be.

While the icing is wet, sprinkle it with colored sugar. Use any color you like!

Another Royal Icing Poinsettia

2012-12-18T23:09:00.000-08:00

This poinsettia is quite a bit different than the other day's poinsettia, which required a flower former cup. This one is a lot smaller and would be very cute on tiny desserts like petits fours. You'll need stiff consistency royal icing in red or white, a #352 leaf tip, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, and yellow ball-shaped cake sprinkles (or be prepared to pipe yellow icing dots with a #2 or #3 round tip). Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #352 tip at a 45 degree angle with one of the pointy ends of the V-shaped tip touching the surface and squeeze out a petal. Squeeze and as the icing fans out to create the wide base of the petal, stop pressure and pull the tip up and away. Rotate the nail and repeat 4 times for 5 petals.

While the icing is wet, place a few yellow balls in the center, or pipe a few dots. Peel away the parchment when the icing is dry and instantly make any small dessert more festive!

Royal Icing Snowmen

2012-12-17T23:32:00.000-08:00

If you can pipe a ball, you can pipe a whole family of snowmen. All you'll need is a round tip (I used a #12 for inch-high snowmen), stiff consistency royal icing in white and any colors you like for the accessories, a black food-safe marker or concentrated food color in black and round toothpicks for the features, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the tip just above and at a right angle to the surface and squeeze out a ball of icing. Stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap down the peak to round the icing into a ball. Allow it to firm up for a few minutes.

Repeat the process to pipe the center ball of the body. Allow this to firm up for a few minutes as well.

One one of the snowmen I piped a scarf with a #101s petal tip.

On another I piped a few buttons with a #3 tip.

Pipe the head in the same way you did the other balls that make up the body.

When the icing is very firm, paint on some food coloring features with the blunted end of a round toothpick (I smash the tip into the counter to create a tiny rounded point).

Another Royal Icing Christmas Tree

2012-12-16T23:26:00.000-08:00

I'll admit, yesterday's royal icing Christmas tree turned out better than today's, but I thought I'd show you this other "tiered" variation that was inspired by one of my daughter's bath toys:

I also found a few more cookie decorations that I thought might work well as ornaments. Here they are on the countertop, to give you an idea of how small they are (my hands aren't particularly large).

In addition to tiny decorations, you'll need a #199 star tip, stiff consistency green royal icing, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, and a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Squeeze out a small amount of icing until the tip is buried in it, then stop pressure and draw the tip up a couple of millimeters. Repeat. When you've reached the third tier, stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up.

You can decorate it in any way you like before the icing firms up, like with a tiny star on top…

…and miniature candy canes and gingerbread men for ornaments (I'm pretty sure I found these Dean Jacob's sprinkles at a cake decorating store).

Royal Icing Christmas Tree

2012-12-15T22:43:00.000-08:00

It doesn't take much to make a thimble-sized Christmas tree; this would be almost the right scale for a gingerbread house made of graham crackers! You'll need a #21 star tip, stiff consistency green royal icing, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, and tiny "ornaments", such as colored sugar, pearls, snowflakes, etc. Start by sticking a parchment square to the glue stick.

Hold the tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. Pipe a spiral that builds up on itself, getting smaller with each rotation. I spiraled the tip around about 2 times, then finished with a dollop that left a peak on top. Pull the tip straight up and away.

If you like, sprinkle colored sugar on the icing before it firms up.

You can also stud it with various cake decorations for ornaments…

…and a star on top. These would also be the right size as a decoration for miniature cupcakes, petits fours, cake pops, etc.

Royal Icing Christmas Stocking

2012-12-14T17:49:00.002-08:00

Tonight is a tribute to one of my favorite Christmas rituals: stuffing Christmas stockings. Everyone from my kid to my cat gets a stocking on Christmas morning. Here's what you'll need: stiff consistency royal icing in any colors you like, a tip #12 for each color (or be prepared to do some washing), a flower nail, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch.

Hold the #12 tip just above and at a right angle to the surface. In one motion, pipe a shape like a slightly curvy "L", then reverse the direction when you reach the "toe" and continue back up to the top where you started.

Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap the icing flat and smooth.

Pipe the cuff in a similar fashion; the basic shape is a zero lying on its side. You don't have to pipe the icing as smooth with the cuff; if you pulse the pressure as you pipe you can give the surface a lumpy, "furry" appearance. I sprinkled on some extra powdered sugar; it looks sort of snowy. Alternately, you can switch to a small round tip like a #2 and pipe many short peaks of icing for fur; I may give this a try after the white icing firms up more. You can, of course, decorate the stocking any way you like with edible glitter, pearl dust, stitching, tiny holly leaves, etc. In any event, it makes a cute cupcake topper or decoration for a gingerbread house or cookie.

Royal Icing Spiral Candy

2012-12-13T23:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure what to call this creation; spiral candy seems pretty descriptive. Basically, I was looking for an alternative to hard candy that will eventually become sticky when used to decorate gingerbread houses or cookies; royal icing will stay rock hard. You'll need stiff consistency royal icing in any colors you like, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You can use tips in any size depending on how large you want your "candies" to be (I used #10 and #3). Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the larger tip just above and at a right angle to the center of the nail. Rotate the nail while steadily piping a spiral. When you get to the end (the size you want), stop pressure and pull the tip away. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap down the end to neaten it and taper it into the spiral.

Allow the icing to firm up for a few minutes, then pipe a spiral with the smaller tip and a contrasting color. When the icing is firm, peel away the parchment and use them to decorate anything you like. Alternately, pipe them in brown with a white spiral and, Voila! Cinnamon buns!

Royal Icing Starlight Mint

2012-12-12T23:39:00.002-08:00

I know it seems odd to pipe Starlight Mints; it's not like they're hard to come by! However, if you use them to decorate gingerbread houses, cupcakes, or whatever, they'll get really sticky. All you'll need to pipe a rock-hard, non-sticky version of them is white stiff consistency royal icing, a round #12 tip, parchment paper squares, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar, and a red (or any color) food-safe marker like the AmeriColor Gourmet Writer. Start by holding the #12 tip just above and at a right angle to a parchment square. Squeeze out a dollop of icing…

…and tap it into a flat, rounded disc with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch. Allow it to harden completely.

At this point you can do whatever you want with the food-safe markers; you might try using two or more colors. To pipe the classic striped design, draw backwards "S" shapes that are wider at the outer edge.

Royal Icing Igloo

2012-12-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

A royal icing igloo is so ridiculously easy to pipe, you don't even need a tip for the main part of it! All you'll need is a coupler on a pastry bag (an Ateco coupler, though; Wilton's coupler has a notch), white stiff consistency royal icing, a #79 scallop tip to pipe the door, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam brick to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the coupler (without a tip) at a right angle just above the surface and squeeze out a "kiss" of icing while moving the tip upward for about half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away.

Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap down the peak to round the shape into a dome. Allow it to firm up for a few minutes.

Switch to the #79 tip and hold it against the side. Squeeze while moving it away and along the surface for a few millimeters. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. Gently even out any ragged edges of the door with a dusted fingertip. That's all you need to pipe tiny decorations for your North Pole-themed desserts!

Royal Icing Narcissus

2012-12-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

The narcissus has always been one of my favorite flowers (definitely my favorite bulb). It is the official flower of December, but is frequently overshadowed by poinsettias. They are easy to pipe, especially if you use a daffodil template on your flower nail (optional, if you're skilled at keeping the 6 petals equal in size):

You'll also need a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch, petal tip #104, scallop tip #79, and stiff consistency royal icing in white and yellow. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Attach the #104 tip to the white icing. Hold the tip almost flat against the surface, but with the narrow end of the tip angled outwards and upwards. Squeeze while moving your hand in a tight "U". As you complete the shape, stop pressure and pull the tip away diagonally toward the center of the nail.

Here are the first two petals. As you pipe them, touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and taper the petals' tips by pinching them gently.

Here are the 6 petals. Set the flower aside to firm up for a few minutes at this point.

Attach the #79 tip to the yellow icing. Pipe a stand-up petal in the center; hold the tip against the surface at a right angle, squeeze, draw upwards for a few millimeters, then stop pressure and pull the tip away.

Repeat a few times until you've formed the center cup of the narcissus. Sneak in a few of these next time you're supposed to be piping poinsettias; see if anyone notices!

Royal Icing Poinsettia

2012-12-09T22:49:00.000-08:00

Poinsettias are very easy to pipe, but they take a long time to dry; make sure to plan ahead if you're going to use them to decorate a cake for Christmas! You'll need stiff consistency royal icing in green, yellow, red or white, leaf tip #70, round tips #2 and #3, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. You'll also need a small flower forming cup and a square of candy foil for each poinsettia.

Line the cup with the foil and tuck it around underneath.

Attach the #70 tip to the white or red icing. Hold the tip in the center and squeeze out a petal.Touch your fingertips to the dusting pouch and taper the tip of the petal.

Repeat several times to make the flower. I like to start by piping three equilateral petals. Try not to pipe an excessive amount of icing in the center or it will take a week to dry, depending on your climate.

Six petals or so is a good number.

Pipe a cluster of green dots in the center with the #3 tip.

Allow the green dots to dry for a few minutes, then top each one with a dot of yellow piped from the #2 tip. You can gently remove the flower on the foil from the cup so you can use the cup to pipe more flowers. Set the foil with the flower on it aside in a warm, dry location. Don't peel away the foil until the icing is completely dry.

Royal Icing Waffle

2012-12-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the breakfast theme of yesterday's pancakes, today's waffle is another example of something that's cute and fun to do with that last little bit of icing (but it's probably something you'll never need to actually know how to do). You'll need yellow stiff consistency royal icing, round tips #12 and #3, oval tip #55, a flower nail, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the #12 tip at a right angle to and just above the surface and pipe a circle about the size of a nickel. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and flatten the icing into a disc. Allow this shape to dry for a few minutes.

Switch to the #3 tip and pipe a few lines in one direction, allowing a tip's width between them…

…and then pipe lines in the other direction. Flatten the lines slightly with a dusted fingertip.

Switch to the oval #55 tip and pipe a border around the edge, with one of the narrow sides of the tip facing down. Perhaps a tiny waffle would be a good garnish on a maple-flavored dessert like a cake pop or muffin.

Royal Icing Stack of Pancakes

2012-12-07T23:35:00.000-08:00

A tiny stack of pancakes is one of those projects you'll probably never need to pipe, but it sure is cute, easy, and sort of looks like what it's supposed to be. All you'll need is stiff consistency royal icing in brown and yellow, a round #12 tip, a flat #44 tip, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick.

Hold the tip at a right angle to and just above the surface. Pipe a swirl about the size of a quarter…

…and tap it flat with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch.

Allow it to firm up for a few minutes, and repeat. It looks better if the "pancakes" vary slightly in size.

Pipe another…

…and another.

Finish off with a "pat of butter" (a short shot of yellow icing piped with the flat #44 tip). These would be cute as a garnish on any maple flavored dessert (or somehow featured in a gingerbread house).