Thursday, December 27, 2012

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.

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