Royal Icing Orchid

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

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

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

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

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 Bunny Slippers

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

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.