Delicate Icing Snowflakes

These pretty handcrafted snowflakes add elegance to your holiday decor. Use them to decorate candles for one-of-a-kind gifts.

Yield: 1 dozen (5 inch) snowflakes

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 6 tablespoons warm water
• Small paintbrush
• Taper candles, if desired
• Glitter, edible glitter or granulated sugar
• Nylon thread, string or ribbon

Instructions

1. Beat powdered sugar, meringue powder and water in large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until sugar is moistened. Beat on high speed 5 to 7 minutes or until very glossy and stiff peaks form.
2. Place icing in decorating bag with #10 tip. Or place icing in strong plastic bag; cut off a tip from one corner of bag. Keep damp paper towel over tip when not in use to prevent icing from hardening.
3. Cover cookie sheet with waxed paper or cooking parchment paper.
4. Enlarge or reduce patterns (see diagram); slide patterns under waxed paper. Trace patterns by piping on frosting, tracing longest lines of pattern first. Use a small paintbrush dipped into water to smooth any irregularities, working on each snowflake as it is piped.
5. For candles, draw snowflakes freehand or use toothpick or pin to etch design before piping icing.
6. Lightly brush entire snowflake with water; immediately sprinkle with glitter (use only edible glitter or sugar if snowflakes are to be eaten).
7. Let dry; remove from waxed paper.
8. To hang as decorations, attach nylon thread to one end.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Betty Crocker Kitchens