I was trying to come up with a good tribute for Michigan; a lot of their official state symbols really can't be easily rendered in icing. Then I found out that Michigan is the United States' leading producer of pickling cucumbers! Eureka! I won't lie; I love easy projects. All you need to pipe a peck of pickles are green stiff consistency royal icing, round tips #12 and #3, a flower nail, parchment paper squares, a Styrofoam block to rest the flower nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of powdered sugar and cornstarch. Start by sticking a piece of parchment paper to the nail with a dab from the glue stick.
Hold the #12 tip just above and at a 45 degree angle to the surface. Pipe a slightly curved line of icing across the surface. Stop pressure and pull the tip away.
Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and gently tap each end to round them. Allow the pickles to firm up for a while (you can speed this process up by placing them under a desk lamp).
Switch to the #3 tip and pipe a random scattering of dots. Hold the tip just above the surface, squeeze briefly, then stop pressure and pull the tip away. If a peak forms, touch the peak with a dusted fingertip to round it. If you ever happen to make Christmas tree cookies or cakes, you should
hide pickles on them!
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