When I was growing up, our silverware drawer was always filled with a hodgepodge of cutlery patterns. Some were modern and streamlined, others vintage and ornate. I was known to rifle through the drawer to pick out my favorites. Tiny, sharp-angled spoons. Flowery, scrolling handles. The more delicate and embellished, the better. Any one of these royal icing spoons would have rated.
Supplies:
- Royal icing (I used AmeriColor gel paste coloring to tint the icing):
- Flooding-consistency gray (Gunmetal)
- Stiff-consistency gray (Gunmetal)
- Flooding-consistency dark green (3 parts Silver Spruce/1 part Cypress/1 part Midnight)
- Stiff-consistency dark green (3 parts Silver Spruce/1 part Cypress/1 part Midnight)
- Tips: PME #2, 0, 00 (or equivalents)
- 2 3/8-in (6.1-cm) silicone egg mold
- Paint brushes:
- Medium flat
- Small liner
- Spoon Handle Templates document (located in “Files” under “Attachments” at the end of this post)
- Clipboard or bench scraper (or equivalent)
- Parchment paper
- 3 1/2-in (8.9-cm) oval silicone mold (or equivalent), optional
- AmeriColor (or equivalent) gel paste colorings for painting: Bright White, Gunmetal
- Cookie large enough to accommodate your spoon transfer(s)
- 1-in (2.5-cm) cookie(s) rolled 1/4 in (0.6 cm) thick (or equivalent), for propping
Note: For brevity’s sake in this tutorial, I walk through the process of creating one of the depicted spoons in detail. The process to create each spoon is identical, save for the particular embellishments along the handles.
Step 1: Pipe spoon head transfer(s)
a. Using flooding-consistency gray royal icing and a PME #2 tip (or equivalent), pipe a spoon head shape, approximately 1 to 1 1/2 inches (2.5 to 3.8 centimeters) tall, on the curved top of a silicone egg mold. Repeat to create as many spoon heads as you want to feature in your cookie. If you’re making multiple spoons, it’s fun to vary the sizes of the spoon heads to add to the eclectic nature of a vintage spoon collection. Allow the icing to dry completely (I let mine dry overnight).
b. Depress the sides of the silicone mold to release the spoon head transfer, and flip the transfer over so that the concave side (the side that was in contact with the silicone mold) faces up. You will likely notice a few air bubbles (i). Using flooding-consistency gray royal icing and a PME #2 tip (or equivalent), pipe a dot of icing over the air bubbles that you want to cover (ii). Use a damp flat paint brush to skim over the air bubbles, allowing the icing to fill the holes while blending the excess wet icing into the dry icing of the spoon head transfer (iii). Repeat as necessary to fill all of the air bubbles (iv). Set the spoon head(s) aside for now.
Step 2: Pipe spoon handle transfer(s)
a. Print out the Spoon Handle Templates document (located in “Files” under “Attachments” at the end of this post). Tape the templates onto a surface that allows you to curve the handle templates upward at the thinnest parts of the handles. In the photo below you can see two examples that worked well for me: a clipboard and a bench scraper. Tape a piece of parchment paper over the templates, making sure that the parchment paper follows the curve. (You’ll notice I used acetate to cover the templates on the bench scraper. I would not recommend using acetate here. While acetate gives the icing a nice shine, it is very difficult to remove long, fragile transfers from it without breaking them.)
b. Using flooding-consistency gray royal icing and a PME #2 tip (or equivalent), pipe over one or more of the spoon handle templates. Allow the icing to dry completely (I let mine dry overnight). Carefully remove the tape from the parchment paper, and peel the parchment paper away from the handle transfer(s). Flip the handle(s) over so that the side that was in contact with the parchment paper faces up. Again, you will likely notice some air bubbles. Use the same process described in Step 1b to fill the holes with icing.
Step 3: Pipe handle embellishments
a. If you have an oval silicone mold, place the spoon handle over the curve of the mold. The silicone will keep the transfer from rocking, and it will provide a small amount of cushioning as you apply downward pressure while piping. Even with the cushioning, the handles are fragile so use as light a touch as possible. If your handle breaks, glue it back together with stiff royal icing, and allow it to dry over the curve of the mold. Once dry, cover the repaired area with an embellishment to further strengthen it and to hide any visible seam.
For this design, I chose a handle that widens and narrows in several sections. It is the second handle from the left depicted in the Spoon Handle Templates document. Using stiff-consistency gray royal icing and a PME #0 tip (or equivalent), pipe a scroll that fills the widening space just above the pointed tip at the bottom. The tail should trail off on the left side of the next widening section. Allow the icing to set for a moment before flattening it slightly with a dry flat paint brush.
b. Pipe a scroll facing the opposite direction that fills the widening space above the first scroll. The tail should trail off on the right side of the next widening section. Again, allow the icing to set for a moment before flattening it slightly with a dry flat paint brush.
c. Using stiff-consistency gray royal icing and a PME #00 tip (or equivalent), pipe a leaf-like shape within the large scroll so that the leaf’s stem attaches to the middle of the scroll. Above the leaf, add a small scroll that also attaches to the large scroll. Allow the icing to set for a moment before flattening it slightly with a dry flat paint brush.
d. With the same icing and tip, add a small scroll above the large scroll that faces the opposite direction. Allow the icing to set for a moment before flattening it slightly with a dry flat paint brush.
e. Add three more curling leaf shapes above the last scroll, making each successively smaller as you move up the handle. Again, allow the icing to set for a moment before flattening it slightly with a dry flat paint brush.
f. Finally, add a couple of teardrops on either side of the neck to fill the remaining space. Once again, allow the teardrops to set a moment before flattening them slightly with a dry flat paint brush.
It’s fun to experiment with different designs. On another handle, I gave the icing a more textured look by using the brush embroidery technique, dragging through the center of various scrolls and teardrops with a small paint brush.
I also tried a couple of floral designs by piping a bead of icing for each element and then shaping it with a paint brush into a petal, a bud, or a leaf.
For other handles, I used dots and lines as the primary design elements.
Step 4: Paint spoon transfers
a. Using a dry flat paint brush and undiluted Bright White gel paste coloring (or equivalent), paint a streak on each side of the spoon head transfer extending from the top of the spoon head downward (i). Dampen your paint brush slightly, and brush over the streaks to soften the edges and blend out the brush strokes (ii). These white highlights are meant to look like light reflecting off the metal.
b. Paint a small section of undiluted Gunmetal gel paste coloring (or equivalent) at the top edge of the spoon in between the white highlights (i). Again, dampen your paint brush slightly, and brush over the dark section to blend the paint downward and soften the edges (ii). Note: The number, location, and size of the areas of highlight and shade painted in Steps 4a and 4b can vary. Take a look at photos and real-life spoons for inspiration, but make sure to replicate the same pattern of light and shade across all of the spoon head transfers on the same cookie so that the light looks like it is coming from the same source.
c. Use a small liner paint brush and undiluted Gunmental gel paste coloring (or equivalent) to paint an outline around the top edge of the spoon. As the outline reaches the widest points of the spoon, begin to inset the line very slightly so that there is a brush’s width of space between the outline and the edge of the transfer. Leave an unpainted section about 1/2 inch (1.3 centimeters) wide along the bottom edge.
d. Use the same brush and undiluted Bright White gel paste coloring (or equivalent) to add white highlights to the unpainted area between the dark outline and the edge of the transfer.
e. To paint the handle, use a small liner paint brush to outline the crevices around the raised scrolls with undiluted Gunmetal gel paste coloring (or equivalent). Blend the areas slightly with a clean damp paint brush.
f. Use the same paint brush and undiluted Bright White gel paste coloring (or equivalent) to add highlights to the curled ends of the scrolls and leaves. Brush over the white paint with a clean paint brush to extend and blend the white paint along the tails of the scrolls. Repeat Steps 4e and 4f for any additional handles, painting shadows around the outside of the raised embellishments and highlights on the tips of the raised sections that would catch the most light.
Step 5: Assemble cookie
a. Bake a cookie large enough to accommodate your spoon transfer(s), and flood it with flooding-consistency dark green royal icing. Allow the icing to dry completely. To fit all seven spoons depicted, I used a 6 1/2 by 4 1/4-inch (16.5 by 10.8-centimeter) rectangular cookie.
b. Place a 1-inch (2.5-centimeter) baked cookie (or equivalent) at the top of the flooded cookie to act as a prop. Pipe a dab of stiff-consistency dark green royal icing on the base of the underside of the spoon head (i), and press it onto the flooded cookie so that the tip of the spoon head is elevated by the prop (ii). Repeat with as many spoon heads as you are using for your cookie (iii). Allow the icing to set at least 30 minutes before proceeding.
c. Using stiff-consistency gray royal icing and a PME #2 tip (or equivalent), pipe a small dab of icing along the bottom edge of the spoon head where the handle would attach. Insert the top edge of the handle into the icing to glue the two pieces together (i). Use a damp small liner paint brush to smooth the wet icing into the dried icing of the transfers to conceal the seam (ii). Repeat with any additional spoons. Once the icing has dried completely, remove the prop cookies. The assembled spoons on my cookie range from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inches (6.4 to 8.9 centimeters) in length.
Finished! I had a ton of fun creating different designs for these three-dimensional spoons. [EDITOR'S NOTE: I bet! They're all just delightful! ~JMU]
Samantha Yacovetta began cookie decorating in 2013. While working at a local bakery, Samantha became captivated by cookie art when a customer requested princess-themed cookies. Attracted initially to the precision of cookie decorating, Samantha soon found that the limitless design opportunities turned it into her artistic passion. Samantha began regularly stocking the bakery case with decorated cookies and for several years sold cookies through her own company, Aproned Artist, a cottage food operation. Having retired from the business life, Samantha now enjoys making cookies just for fun from her home in San Jose, California, USA. To learn more about Samantha, please check out her Cookie Connection portfolio, her Facebook page, and her past Every Little Detail tutorials here.
Photo and cookie credits: Samantha Yacovetta
Note: Every Little Detail with Aproned Artist is a monthly Cookie Connection blog feature written by Samantha Yacovetta focused on the special little details that make big statements in cookie design. This article expresses the views of the author, and not necessarily those of this site, its owners, its administrators, or its employees. To read all of Samantha's past Every Little Detail tutorials, click here. And to see all of Cookie Connection's tutorials, click here.
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