Royal Icing Starlight Mint

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.