Royal Icing Lollipops

I'm a big fan of lollipops, except for the stick; what a waste of space! So, I thought it would be cute to pipe totally edible lollipop decorations for cupcakes, cookies, etc. All that's needed are stiff consistency royal icing in any color you like (including white for the stick, if you're a traditionalist), round tips #8 and #4, a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 blend of powdered sugar and cornstarch, and a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper taped to it, like this:

 Pipe a #8 line about 3" long, holding the tip just above the surface and the bag almost flat:

 You can square off the ends of the "stick" by touching a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tapping them flat, or you can dust an offset spatula and push it in between the tip and the icing to make a clean cut:

 Pipe a stick for each lollipop and allow them to dry.

 Pipe a spiral of icing using the #8 tip. Hold the bag at a 90 degree angle with the tip just above the surface. Start piping the spiral to the left of the stick, and about half an inch down its length to make a good connection. Spiral in toward the center, stop the pressure, and pull the tip away. If a peak remains, tap it down with a powdered fingertip.

 Let it dry for a while, until it can support the weight of a #4 spiral. Allow the finished lollipops to dry overnight, then slide them off the parchment with the assistance of an offset spatula. You could pipe these in any color to coordinate any holiday or occasion!