Key Lime Cookie Tree Centerpiece

Key Lime Cookie Tree

  Ingredients and Supplies

  Cookies

·                        1 cup butter (no substitutes)

·                        1/2 cup sugar

·                        1/4 cup Nellie and Joes’ key lime juice

·                        1 teaspoon vanilla

·                        2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

·                        ¼  cup confectioner’s sugar

·                         

 Icing

·                       2 tablespoon meringue powder

·                        1/4 cup warm water 

                     + 2 tablespoons key lime juice

·                        3 cups sifted powdered sugar

·                        1 teaspoon vanilla

·                        1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

·                        1 - 2 colors assorted paste food coloring-

                     mint green, teal, aqua

·                         

Supplies

·                        Rolling Pin

·                        Parchment Paper

·                        2” and 1” leaf cookie cutters

·                        Thin bamboo skewers, cut to 3” lengths

·                        Tooth picks

·                        Piping bags

·                        #2 or #3 piping tip

·                        Glue

·                        6 inch Styrofoam cone
                          6-8” plastic plate or covered cardboard cake circle

·                        Small needlenose craft pliers

·                        Confectioner’s Sugar for decorating

                         silver and/or gold dragees (optional)

·                        White Sparkle gel
                         Star shaped lollipop

Directions

·                               1. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat
in sugar until combined. Beat key lime juice, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill 1 hour or overnight until easy to handle.

·                               2. Sprinkle Parchment paper with confectioner’s sugar. Roll each portion
of dough on a lightly dusted surface until 1/4-inch thick. Cut out using floured light leaf-shape cookie cutters. Lift away unused cookie dough, wrapping in plastic wrap and place back in refrigerator to cool. Insert bamboo skewer into larger leaf cookies, and toothpick into center of small leaf cookies. 
(If skewer is exposed, pinch dough up around the skewer to cover, then place that side down on the parchment
paper. )  Place the parchment with cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.

·                               3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown around edges. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Allow to cool completely before icing the leaves.

·                               4. For icing: combine meringue powder, warm water, key lime juice, powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined, then on high speed for 7 to 10 minutes or until smooth and of spreading consistency. Divide into portions and color with aqua, teal, and mint green paste food coloring. Use at once to frost cookies.

 

·                               5. Fill piping bag with icings and pipe a Line around the edge of each cookie.

When finished, thin remaining icing with water until proper consistency for flooding cookies.  Icing is ready to fill  in outlines when a small amount dropped  from a spoon into the mixture disappears on the count of ten..

  Place on racks until set.

 

·                               6.Glue Styrofoam cone onto a plastic  plate or covered cake circle. ( I inverted a clear plastic plate purchased from the dollar store.) Sprinkle confectioner’s sugar onto the cone.

·                               7. Starting at the bottom, carefully push the larger cookies into the Styrofoam cone using a pair of small needlenose craft pliers on skewers and toothpickes. Do not push on cookies as they will break. 

Continue adding cookies , using large cookies at bottom, then adding smaller cookies toward the top of cone. Use leftover small leaf cookies to fill in gaps on lower part of cone.

·                               8.To decorate the tree, run a small line of sparkle gel around the tips
of cookies to resemble icicles.  Place dragees on the tips of leaves. The sparkle gel will hold the dragees in place. Sprinkle the tree with confectioners sugar to resemble snow. Cut stem of lollipop to 2” and
place the star lollipop on top of the tree by inserting stem into upper tip of cone.

 Tutorial and photography by Jacque Benson

All rights reserved 2011

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Recipe inspired and adapted from

Lime Cookie Lights by Better Homes and Gardens

Gumpaste Star

Tutorial by Edna De La Cruz

All rights Reserved 2011

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

O Holy Night--a Sugarpaste Christmas Angel Trio tutorial

This is a tutorial for creating a Christmas Angel trio. They are fairly simple to make, but by adding artistic touches and your own creativity, you can make them as elaborate or as simple as you like.

This is a project that needs time to dry before finishing the last step, so be sure to allow plenty of time.

Either start in the morning and finish at the end of the day, or allow two days for the whole project.

You will need:

3 Waffle cones

1 bowl water

scissors

Fondant roller and board

white gumpaste

gum glue*

PME wheel cutter

ball tools of various sizes

Woman Full Torso and/or Girl face mold ( use med. size)

pastel pink and yellow non toxic pastel chalk

AmeriColor White Gel Paste

cotton swab

pink, blue, and brown edible marker

Celcake LargeWing molds 

ultra white sparkle luster dust

Glimmer of Gold luster dust

rainbow disco dust

several artist brushes

Sugarpaste extruder

toothpicks

#32 wire

* Gum Glue- add 1/4 tsp Tylose powder to 2 T hot water.

Directions:

Since the trio of angel will be staggered heights, you will want to shorten one cone by 1/2 inch and one by 1 inch. The easiest way to cut a cone is to place the end of the cone in a bowl of water 1/2 inch deep.

Allow to set for 10-15 seconds, then remove.

Using scissors, carefully cut softened cone over a paper towel .

For one inch cut, you will have to repeat this process twice.

Set upright on paper towel to dry.

Be sure your cut is level.

Now you have the foundation for your angel trio.

Form a one inch square of gumpaste.

Dampen lightly the end of cone with gum glue.

Place the square of gumpaste one the pointed end of cone

and shape around cone as shown below, creating a waistline for angel.

Cut 4 triangles of gumpaste to the pattern shown.

Cover with plastic wrap to protect while working.

I started with the smallest angel, cutting four 3 inch triangles.

For, remaining angels, add 1/2 " to length.

Dampen waistline of angel with gum glue..

Add two triangles to sides of cone, as shown below

On the two remaining triangle, carefully roll back the sides about 1/4"

and brush with gumglue

Attach the folded triangles to the previously attached triangles to create skirt.
Press top of skirt into waistline to secure.

Roll out and cut a 1/2" strip to cover the waistline as a sash.

Secure to waistline with gumglue

Roll out and cut another strip about

5-6" in length and about 1/2" wide.

Cut wider at ends, as shown in photo.

Fold in half and attach to back side of waistline using gumglue.

To create movement, attach part of the sash to skirt

at various points using gumglue.

Roll out and cut a 1"x 3/4" rectangle square and a 1/4"x 3/4"

strip. 

Fold the 1" at the center to create bow, and wrap

the 1/4" strip around the center, cutting excess and securing with gumglue.

Attach to the back of angel at waistline, using gumglue.

For sleeves, roll out a 1/2" roll of gumpaste about 2-1/2" long.

Narrow the center of the roll, by pressing and rolling in the center, narrowing and

elongating the roll.

When the roll is narrowed as shown below, press the ball tool

into the end of the roll to hollow slightly.

Shape ends of roll into a bell, by thinning and ruffling the

edges using the ball tool.

 

When finished, press the end of a smaller ball tool (1/4")

into the hollow of the sleeve to create an indention

for attaching the arm of angel.

Dampen the top of bust of angel with gumglue and

press the center of the sleeves over bust to secure, as shown below.

Roll out 1/4" x 1" lengths of gumpaste.

Press on end to flatten for hand.

Cut 4 slits for fingers and gently roll, using hands,

into round fingers and thumb.

Roll and cut a 3/4" circle. This does not need to be precise. Thin and ruffle edges of circle with a ball tool, as shown below. This is the ruffled collar.

Attach the collar to top of bust and insert the

arms into the sleeves using gumglue.

The arms can be a bit tricky sometimes, so be patient and

hold to sleeve until they are secure.

Roll out a ball of gumpaste. Dust with cornstarch, them press firmly

into face mold. I used a young girl face mold for my two shortest angels, and

a woman's face mold for the tallest angel.

The face below is the woman's face mold.

Paint the faces carefully immediately after removing from mold.

I find it is easier to apply color to the face while the gumpaste is still supple.

Paint lips using the pink edible marker. ( This is the girl's face)

Rub the cotton swab over pink pastel chalk

and brush gently over cheeks.

Using the blue and brown edible markers, create the eyes and eyelashes.

Dip a toothpick into white Americolor gel and place highlights in the eyes.

Dampen the bottom of the neck with gumglue and smooth

into the body using the ball tool.

Make a 1/2" ball for each wing.

Press into the mold , then place the two sides of mold

together and press firmly and evenly.

Open mold and remove wing. Cut off any excess from the edges.

Place on a foam pad to firm.

When firm enough to handle, dampen the back of angel with gumglue

and press the wing, securing the center by pressing and smoothing with the ball tool.

Set a styrofoam cone on end to secure the wings

or lay angel over a bowl until wings are secure.

Repeat the process with the remaining two angels.

Set aside to fully dry.

***

After the angels are fully dried, then you can apply the hair.

Using a little  of the yellow pastel chalk, color a small amount of gumpaste (about a 2-3 " ball ) for the angels' hair.

The yellow is quite pale, almost white.

Press through a clay gun using the disc with the multiple small holes.

Cut off desired length, then roll the edges to curl using the toothpick.

Moisten the entire head with gumglue and attach the hair, beginning at the back of the head and moving forward.

When finished, sprinkle hair with rainbow disco dust to create

"heavenly" glow.

Cut the #32 wire about 3" long and shape into a circle,

Twisting to secure and leaving a 1/2" extension.

Brush the circle generously with gumglue and dip into

rainbow disco dust to create the halo.

Insert the extension of wire into hair.

I finished angel by dry dusting using luster dusts. When dry dusting, touch the end of the brush into the dry luster dust and tap off excess dust before applying to your gumpaste.

Dry brush the angel's gown using the ultra white sparkle luster dust using a 1/2 flat brush,

the dry brush the wings with gold shimmer dust.

Place the final touches on the angel by dry dusting the edges of the wings and sleeves

with gold highlighter luster dust.

________________________________________________________________

To all our Friends who visit us weekly, we wish you

a wonderful and blessed holiday season.

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

 

'Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

Luke 2:9-14

Tutorial by Jacque Benson

All Rights Reserved 2010

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.