Sugar Decorations

By dkosik

Ingredients

• Shells:
• 3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 egg white
• Royal Icing:
• 2 egg whites
• 2 1/4 c. sifted confectioners sugar
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tarter or 1 tsp. lemon juice

Preparation

Step 1

Shells:
Sift sugar once and place in bowl. Add unbeaten egg white; mix thoroughly with spoon or fingers until well blended. (Should be barely moist like fine sand). If the weather is moist and damp you may need to add a little more sugar and forms will stay longer to dry. A small amount of pure food coloring may be added for a tint of color. Keep extra mixture covered as you work because it dries out quickly. The molds may be any form you desire, different size bells, goblets, plastic eggs or a salad mold or oval bowl may be used as a form. Rub inside of mold with cornstarch or flour. This helps the "sugar form" to unmold easily. Pack damp sugar mixture into mold pressing with fingers or palm of hand firmly getting all air bubbles out. Unmold immediately on waxed paper. If you are making picture window Easter eggs, remove the point of the egg, so a round half-circle opening remains. This becomes the window. Dry 2 hours more or less depending on the size of the mold, then scoop the sugar out of the center to leave a 1/4-inch or less shell. You will be able to tell when you have taken out enough, the shell part will be dry. Now allow the shell to dry some more, maybe a week. Light will show through the shell. the mixture you scoop out can be reused if kept moist.
Royal Icing:
Beat egg whties at low speed until foamy. Add half the sugar; beat until smooth. When it is a nice consistency, add remaining sugar, but add only a tablespoon at a time until frosting holds shape in clear-cut edges. Use pure food coloring, preferably in paste form to add color to frosting: add color witha toothpick. Use a cake decorator set as you would to decorate a cake. When making two part decorations such as easter eggs, put a dollup of frosting on wax paper and secure bottom of egg in it so it will stand secure. That small dollup of frosting becomes the base for the finished egg. Design a scene in the bottom half that you have secured. You may use candy pieces, paper cutouts, photos paper grass and clay eggs, or other tiny things in the scene. Secure them with frosting. Place the top and bottom of eggtogether and seal. These decorations are not adible since when dry they are very, very hard. Store in a cool dry place from year to year.