I like to make "cookie bling" or jewelry icing transfersthroughout the yearwhenever I have somespare time and leftover icing.Withthehectic getting-ready-for-the-holidays hubbub coming up fast it'simportant for me, sanity wise,to haveas much advance preparationdoneas possible.
They'renot very hardto make, but they can be time consuming, which is why I make themas time permits throughout the year.
One more thing,a good pair of off set or angled tweezers make this go so much better.
These little gems are called dragees, anddepending on where you livetheycan bevery hard if not impossible to find. I won't go into all the reasons here, but because I live in CaliforniaI'll refer to them as non edible decorationsandhopefully avoid be hauled offin cookie cuffs toculinaryjail.
I
have variouscolors and sizes of these to make jewelry blingfor my cookies.And because I make them as a transfer and only adhere them to the cookie with a dab of icing they're easy enoughtotake off before actually eating the cookie.
Shown here are somesugar pearls and small mint candies thatI use to make my cookie jewels as well. The bottom row is how these happen tolook rightout of the container. The top row shows how they look after I shake them around in pearl dust. Some brands come alreadypearlized (I'm going to say that's a word even though spell check is telling me it's not).
The larger candies on the rightare Wilton mints used for making wedding favors.
Wilton multi coloredcandiesare on the bottomleft, followed by black then pink sugar pearls.
Again the top row shows them after a shake in pearl dust.
Somebrands of sugar pearls or candy don't seem to take too well tothedusting process, so I do a test run first. Also if they're handled too much the pearl dust can rub off on your fingers, so I like to use tweezers when putting together the jewels.
To make this jewel design I start by placing a drop of royal icing on a piece of waxed paper taped over a grid pattern.The gridhelpsme make sure I have enough room to work, by keeping them spaced apart so I won't run into the previous design and destroy all my hard work.
Iset a dragee into thedot of icingletting some squish out a bit. The offset tweezers let me place them easily.
Into the excess icingI'm placing 4 tiny dragees in a square pattern around the center.
Adding more icing I place sugar pearls in between the tiny dragees. (Top of the photo)
Thelower jewel in the photois afinished one that still needs to dry.
Notice that I place just enough icing to adhere the sugar pearl I'm currentlyplacing to the others, but not so much that it spreads out.I thinkit gives it a more realistic "jewelry" look.
At the top of thisphotois the beginning of another design. It starts out the same way, only this time the tiny dragees will go all the way around the center sugar pearl. You can stop at this point for a small jewel, but I'm going to add another circle of pearls.
Adding more icing as needed I surround the tiny dragees with more sugar pearls. And that finishes up that design.
This next design is oneof my favorites. You start the same way as with thetwo lower leftjewels in the photo.The next step is to place a drop of icingabove each tiny dragee and add a sugar pearl. I'm adding one in this photo.
I'm adding the third one here.
Remember to add drops of icing as needed so each bead will adhere to the ones next to it andthe whole thingwill hold together when dry.
This is the last pearl for this design. These all will need to dry for least 12 - 24 hours or more depending on humidity.
These are justa fewofthe easier multi use design shapesI use over and over. They can be easilyalteredbychangingthe color and the size of the pearls and dragees.
Using black icing instead of white will give the jewels a more dramatic look.
In the pastI've addedthese jewelsto molded fondant shapes, as well as placing them as accents for added bling and sparkle to jazz up what could be justa plain cookie.
Note:The dragees will discolor or tarnish over time if left out in the open, soif you are making these upfor future use,keep them in an airtight container once they dry.I actually pipe one design over and over until I have a sheet of them, then leave thefinished and dried jewelry on the waxed paper.I place the whole sheet in a plastic "zipper" type baggie and store these stackedbetween a layer of bubble wrap and place them in an airtight container. When I need them I just peel them off the waxed paper and "glue" them to my cookies with a dab of icing.
♥ Happy Decorating ♥
