How To Make Sugar Skulls Calavera De Azúcar Food

HOW TO MAKE SUGAR SKULLS: FUN RECIPES AND DECORATING TIPS

Steps:

• Combine the granulated sugar and meringue powder in a large bowl. Stir 1 c (200 g) of sugar and 2 tbsp (30 g) of meringue powder together with a spoon or your fingers until it is thoroughly combined. Although it's a food-grade product, meringue powder may be easier to find at craft stores rather than grocery stores (depending on where you live). It's also widely available online. While you're shopping for meringue powder, also pick up a set of plastic or silicone sugar skull molds at the craft store or online. Choose a set that has molds for both the fronts and backs of the skulls. Note: If you don't have meringue powder, or if there is extremely high humidity on the day you're making the skulls, check out the last step of this section for a recipe variation that substitutes egg whites and utilizes your oven.
• Add most of the water and combine the mixture with your hand. Pour in 1 1/2 tbsp (22.5 ml) of water, then use your fingers to thoroughly blend the mixture together. You can use a spoon instead if you prefer. This is a fun way to get kids involved in the process. Just make sure they wash their hands first!
• Add more water as needed until the mix feels like wet sand. Once you've stirred in the first batch of water, squeeze together a small handful of the mixture and see if it holds its shape like wet sand. If it crumbles apart, mix in the remaining 1/2 tbsp (7.5 ml) of water and test it again. In rare instances you may need more than 2 tbsp (30 ml) of water to reach the wet sand consistency. Add more water about 1 tsp (5 ml) at a time and keep testing the mixture until it holds together when squeezed.
• Pack the mixture tightly into the skull molds. Use a spoon or your fingers to scoop a healthy amount of the mixture into a mold, then press it firmly so it fills the mold completely. Use the back of a butter knife or similar flat kitchen tool to flatten the back side of the mixture so it's even with the flat side of the mold. Repeat until you've filled all the molds (or run out of the mixture). Make sure you fill the same number of front and back sides of the skull molds so you can make complete skulls. Optional: Use a spoon to scoop out some of the mixture from the flat back side of each mold. (They'll look a bit like a half of an avocado after you've removed the pit!) This may help the sugar skulls dry more quickly and evenly.
• Flip the skull pieces out of their molds and onto cardboard scraps. Begin this step right after packing all the molds. Start by holding a flat scrap of cardboard that's slightly larger than the mold firmly against the flat back of a filled mold. In one motion, flip both the mold and the cardboard over, then lightly tap both the mold and cardboard against the countertop. Gently lift away the mold to reveal either the front or back half of a sugar skull. Repeat with the other skull molds. If the skull half doesn't come out cleanly or crumbles, repack the mold and try again. Try adding a few spoonfuls of water if the skull halves are crumbling, or a few pinches of sugar if they're sticking to the molds.
• Leave the skull halves to dry for at least 8 hours. Set the skull halves out in a cool, dry location, in which case they should be firm and dry to the touch in about 8 hours. If, however, it's warmer and a bit more humid, give them more like 12 hours before touching them to confirm they're firm and dry.
• Glue the skull halves together with royal icing. Use the royal icing recipe provided in this article, choose an alternate recipe, or buy a pre-made container. Use a knife to spread some of the icing on the flat edge of one of the front-side skull halves, or put the icing in a piping bag and squeeze it onto the skull half. Press one of the back-side skull halves firmly into the icing to glue the halves together. Repeat with the other skull halves and let the icing dry for 15 minutes. While you wait for the icing "glue" to dry, mix up another batch of royal icing to use for decorating the skulls. Although these sugar skulls are made from edible ingredients, they're not intended for eating-you'll break a tooth trying to bite into one!
• Alternate recipe with egg whites instead of meringue powder: Use the same amount of granulated sugar-4 c (800 g)-but substitute 2 egg whites for both the meringue powder and the water. Here's the process: Mix one egg white into the sugar by hand. Add more egg white as needed until you get a wet sand consistency that holds its shape when you squeeze it in your hand. Pack the mixture firmly into the sugar skull molds, then scrape away any excess so the back of each filled mold is flat. Flip each mold out onto a scrap of cardboard, then carefully slide each half-skull onto a baking sheet. Bake the skulls in a 200 °F (93 °C) oven for 20-30 minutes, until they are dry and firm to the touch. Let the skulls cool, then stick the front and back halves of the skulls together with royal icing. Wait about 15-30 minutes, then decorate the skulls with colored royal icing.

CALAVERAS DE DULCES ( MEXICAN SUGAR SKULLS)

Steps:

• You will also need sequins, for decorating the eyes.
• Combine the egg white and water until foamy.
• Add extract (if using) and corn syrup.
• Add confectioners sugar; you'll end up having to use your hands to incorporate all of it.
• Sprinkle 1 cup of the cornstarch on a work surface and knead the sugar paste in the cornstarch until it's smooth.
• Form a ball and wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
• Pinch off some of the sugar paste to use with food coloring for decorations.
• With the rest of the paste you should have enough for about 8 skulls; they don't have to be very big, less than the size of a small fist.
• Sculpt the piece of sugar paste into a skull shape, smoothing the surface as you go and forming eye sockets, etc.
• (You can find some really good examples on various sites on the internet--).
• You'll find that the paste gets softer and softer the warmer it gets-- if it sticks too much, add more cornstarch.
• Add food colors (and extracts, if using) to the sugar paste that you set aside; generally the brighter the colors the better.
• If you wish, you can add enough water to form more of an icing and it can be squeezed onto the skulls, if not, forming decorations by hand is okay, too.
• The skulls are generally"cheery" looking and colorful, not particularly scary.
• Finish by using sequins in the eye sockets.
• Now your skull is ready to dry.
• Simply let it sit out in a dry, warm place for a few hours or up to a couple of days based on weather conditions.
• When dry, it's ready to display.