Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Royal Icing Christmas Cracker

Piping Christmas crackers is a great way to use up that last bit of stiff consistency royal icing in any festive color; don't worry, you don't need to pipe a tiny hat, toy and joke to go inside them. You'll need round tip #12, petal tip #101, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, an offset spatula, parchment paper squares, 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. 
 Pipe a cylinder of icing about one inch long. Start by wiping away any icing from the tip. Hold the tip flat against the surface and pipe for about an inch. Stop pressure…
 …and slide in the spatula alongside the tip.
 You should be left with a reasonably tidy cylinder. Neaten it with a fingertip you've touched to the dusting pouch, if need be. Allow it to firm up for a few minutes. 
Switch to the #101 tip to pipe the ruffly ends. Hold the narrow end of the tip outwards and pulse the tip back and forth to form ruffles while piping in a fanlike motion. These could work for any holiday if you adapt the colors thematically.

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