Sugar Glass Butterflies by Jennifer Dontz

I am SUPER excited to bring you this tutorial. This extremely EASY process, makes the most beautiful crystal look butterflies and leaves I've ever seen.

Let's get started!

1. Using isomalt sticks, melt them in the microwave. You need a container that will take the hot sugar. Be careful not to burn the sugar. Cook it just until melted. Once melted, let it sit on the counter for a couple minutes. This will bring the air bubbles to the surface.

ALWAYS wear some sort of glove when working with hot sugar. You can easily whip that glove off, but not your skin, if you get some on it :-) I like to use the Wilton measuring cups. They work well for me, but I am not endorsing them. Use at your own risk. 

Pour one of each side of the butterfly wings. You can use Americolors to color your sugar. Drop color into hot sugar, wait for it to stop sizzling and then gently stir it in.

Here's a link to the isomalt sticks.    
Isomalt Sticks
(This link is to the clear ones but we also handle some very pretty colors as well.)

2. Taking a Show Peel mat, pour some of the hot sugar on to the surface and quickly spread it to all the out edges of the mold, using a toothpick.

If it hardens to fast, you can quickly take a small torch like a cream brulee torch, and heat it back up. You shouldn't hurt the mold if you do it quickly. Let it dry.

Here's a link to the mini bugs Show Peel:

3. Peel the mold off and you now have two butterfly wings.

4. Taking the two wings, dip each one just a bit down at the center of each wing where it would touch the body, into the hot sugar. I would say dip it around 1/8" into the hot sugar. Taking the two wings press them together in the middle and the sugar will compress and make a body. Do this directly on the Show Peel mat or a silpat mat if you have one. At this stage you could add some stamens if you wanted. We just got in some super fine stamens from overseas. They are very hard to find and would be perfect for this.

Here's a link to the stamens:

Isn't it simply GORGEOUS!!! I put the vein side down but you can put them together however you wish. Here's one on a cake (you just attach it with a small amount of hot sugar):

We also have another Show Peel mat that has gorgeous leaves on it.

You could make beautiful crystal leaves for your wedding cakes.

It's the same process as above. If you take the piece off of the mat while it's still a little warm, you can gently bend and conform it they way you want the shape to be. Or you can hit it with the torch as well.

You can do this with the butterflies as well if you don't want the wings perfectly straight.

Here's a link to the beautiful assorted leaf Show Peel

Keep in mind, both of these mats have several shapes/forms on them. If you click on the picture on our site, it will give you an idea of size. Each mat is about the size of a normal piece of paper. Here's the mini bugs mats up close:

And the assorted leaves: (I think the leaves with the bubble in them would look great on seaside cakes)

Also, some tips when working with sugar:

1. You shouldn't take a container that has hot sugar in it and then add cold sticks to remelt in the microwave. 
2. All sugar in the container needs to be the same temperature. You can burn the sugar that is already hot by doing this. 
3. In order to keep the nice shine to these, you need to do one of the following. Either spray with with edible lacquer or brush clear confectioners glaze on it or mix a 50/50 mix of baking soda and vodka and apply.   I have not tried any of the above, but will be trying all of them :-) 
4. Also, isomalt is diabetic candy. So if someone wishes to eat it, they should only eat a small amount. Consuming a bunch can give one a stomach ache.

Have fun with this!

What a wonderful, EASY method for creating hot sugar pieces without the hassle of cooking to temperature. 

I'm am quite sure you will WOW your customers with these!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial.

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This tutorial was published with permission of Jennifer Dontz / SugarDelites Copyright 2011

The material and photos contained in this post may not be copied and republished in any form without permission from the author.