Royal Icing Cowboy Hat

Tonight's tribute to Wyoming, "The Cowboy State," isn't a 10-gallon hat; it's more of a 2-milliliter hat. You can pipe them in any color; yellow is all I had on hand, which is perhaps more Curious George than cowboy. Anyway, all you'll need to pipe teeny-tiny hats is stiff consistency royal icing, petal tip #104, round tip #12, a glue stick, parchment paper squares, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

 Pipe an oval with the petal tip (I LOVE finding uses for petal tips that don't involve flowers!). Keep the narrow end facing out and up, while keeping the wide end against the surface and in the middle. When the ends meet, stop pressure and pull the tip away.

 Generously dust your fingertips by touching them to the dusting pouch. Gently tap the part where the two ends meet to blend them together. Also tap the end opposite down. Gently taper both ends, and roll the sides up. Basically, imagine the shape of a Pringle and approximate it.

 Switch to the #12 tip and pipe a "sausage" of icing down the middle, allowing plenty of the brim to show at the front and back.

 Use your dusted fingertips to coax the front of the crown into that iconic wedge.

 You can leave it as is, or dust a round toothpick and lay it along the middle to form a crease. These are sure to be appreciated when served on cupcakes to cowboys (and cowgirls) of all ages.

Royal Icing Beehive

Today is Labor Day, which seems like a perfect day to pipe beehives in honor of Utah, "The Beehive State," where the motto is simply "Industry." All you'll need to pipe beehives is brown stiff consistency royal icing, tip #12, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, parchment paper squares, a glue stick, toothpicks, black food coloring like AmeriColor Soft Gel Paste in Super Black, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the nail with a dab from the glue stick. 

Hold the #12 tip at a 90 degree angle to and just above the surface.

 Squeeze out some icing, about the area of a penny. Stop pressure and pull the tip upwards, about 3 millimeters higher than its original position.

Repeat three times, depositing a slightly smaller "coin" of icing each time. When you're done with the 4th one, stop pressure and pull the tip away straight up. This shape won't look a thing like a beehive…

 …until you've touched a fingertip to the dusting pouch and lightly tapped the top down, forming a more domelike shape overall.

 When the icing has firmed up, use a toothpick and the black coloring to paint in a tiny "door" on the ground floor. These would make charming cupcake toppers for any event in the Beehive State (like Pioneer Day on July 24th), along with a swarm of royal icing bees.