Yes, I have another cookie project featuring royal icing transfers! I'm on a roll, you might say! 😉 First, we'll build a cookie box (without a top and a bottom), and then we'll cover it with "tiles" - embossed royal icing transfers made by stenciling on a silicone mat (just as I did in my last tutorial). Two additional transfers, made the same way, will end up serving as the box bottom and the lid. When might you use a box of this type, you ask?! I think they make excellent favors for weddings, baptisms, baby showers, birthdays, or just about any other occasion, especially when filled with other small treats!
As you can see below, I opted for very simple box styling, mostly because I was so focused on making sure I could create a seamless, or nearly seamless, box. After many hours of testing and just as many prototypes, I was pleased to find that my box construction was a success, but, by then, I had little time left for making other embellishments! Clearly though, the possibilities for styling these boxes are nearly limitless. You could customize them with monograms or a needlepoint pattern piped into the embossed grid on the tiles. You could add molded fondant embellishments, modeling chocolate bows, piped flowers other than roses, and on and on.
The box sides themselves can also be changed up, which I did find time to attempt. My first box, the white one to the left (below), was covered with tiles that were made by stenciling squares onto the SugarVeil® Needlepoint Mat. My second box, far right, was covered with plain tiles - that is, transfers stenciled simply onto acetate. (However, it's notable that these transfers were less sturdy than those made with the Needlepoint Mat.) I also used a mat with a lace pattern and two colors of royal icing to make the box at the top. You'll find larger photos of these variations at the end of this post, but let's turn now to the step-by-step method for making the first box.
- 4 (2 1/4-in/5.7-cm) square cookies
- Zester or Microplane tool, for filing cookie and royal icing transfer edges
- Acetate, for making square (~2 1/2-in/6.4-cm) stencil
- Paper and pencil
- Ruler, for drawing and cutting guide
- Sugarcraft knife, for cutting stencil
- 1 or more SugarVeil® Needlepoint Mat(s), for stenciling surface(s), or any textured silicone mat used to make edible lace (see @Julia M. Usher's discount code for SugarVeil® products at the end of this post)
- Small offset spatula
- Royal Icing:
- White toothpaste-consistency on the thicker side, for stenciled royal icing transfer(s)
- More of same white toothpaste-consistency on the thicker side, in pastry bag with opening equivalent to Wilton #3 round tip, for cookie box assembly, attaching transfers to box, and piping beaded border
- Green piping-consistency, in pastry bags coupled with tiny flat tip (PME #25 or equivalent) and tiny leaf tip (Wilton #349 or equivalent), for piping ribbon, attaching rose transfers, and piping leaves
- Small craft paint brush
- ~3 pink (or other color) royal icing rose transfers
- Small treats, for filling box (optional)
Step 1: File and miter cookie edges prior to box assembly
a. For this project, gather four (2 1/4-inch/5.7-cm) square cookies made with a cookie dough of your choice. Even if made with the best no-spread recipe, square cookies can end up with edges that bulge at their centers. So to ensure a super-clean box construction, file and miter the edges of each cookie as instructed below.
b. Using a zester or Microplane tool, first lightly file two opposing edges of each square to make sure that all four cookies are the same height, and to make it easier for them to stand vertically (which will, in turn, make the assembly process easier). For this step, the file should be placed flush against the cookie edge, not at an angle to it.
c. Next, rotate each cookie to miter its other two opposing edges at roughly a 30-degree angle. (Of course, here, the file should be held at the same 30-degree angle to the cookie edge.) Mitered edges will allow the cookie pieces to fit more closely together at the corners when assembled into a 3-D box in Steps 3a to 3h.
d. Here's a visual summary of the filed and mitered cookies, all ready for assembly. Set them aside for a bit while you make the stenciled royal icing transfers (that will be used to cover the box sides) in the next step.
Step 2: Cut stencil, and stencil royal icing transfers
a. The stencil for this project is very easy to cut, as it is a simple square. Place a (~2 1/2-inch/6.4-cm) square template under a piece of acetate. (I simply drew a square of this size on a piece of paper with the help of a ruler!) Use a sugarcraft knife and the ruler (now as your cutting guide) to cut the square into the center of the acetate.
b. If your cookies aren't the exact same size as mine, here are some tips for sizing your stencil so the transfers best fit your cookies. If you place your cookie over the stenciled transfer (or the stencil opening), you should be able to see at least 1/8 inch (about 3 mm) of the transfer (or stencil opening) all around the cookie. Having this bit of transfer "overhang" will ensure the most seamless look once the box is fully assembled. My other suggestion is to cut the stencil after you have mitered the cookie edges. Again, every cookie dough bakes a little differently. Your cookies may end up bigger or smaller than mine, so these tips are likely to come in handy.
c. Once your stencil is made, place it on the silicone mat. (Again, I used a SugarVeil® Needlepoint Mat, but other textured silicone mats work well too.)
d. Using a small offset spatula, start by pushing the white toothpaste-consistency royal icing into the mat crevices. Again, the icing consistency should be on the thicker side. Make sure that all of the crevices are entirely filled, so that the mat design reveals cleanly and fully after the icing has dried and the mat is removed.
e. Now spread another layer of the same icing over the opening. Never mind if the top layer is uneven; this side will make contact with the cookie so it won't be exposed.Tip: You'll get the smoothest results if you swipe with the broad underside of the blade against the mat (rather than the blade edge).
f. Carefully remove the stencil, taking care not to disrupt the wet icing.
g. Repeat Steps 2c to 2f to stencil another five transfers. (I used two mats to contain all of the transfers.) Let the transfers dry completely. The mat is small enough that you can place it in a dehydrator to expedite the drying process, if you'd like. However, if you plan to move the mat, use a support (such as a cake cardboard or small tray) underneath it to avoid breaking the transfers while drying. Drying time can vary quite a lot with ambient conditions and the depth of the crevices/pattern in your silicone mat. I let my transfers air-dry for 24 hours - that is, I stenciled them in the morning and forgot about them until the next day. But, mind you, I live in a fairly arid climate.
h. To remove the dry transfers from the mat, place the mat near the edge of your work surface, and peel away the mat from underneath the transfers as I demonstrated in my most recent tutorial and in others. Do not tug on the transfers, or they will break.
i. Here's a visual recap of the transfers after removal from the mat, with the mat's embossed grid texture facing up.
j/k/l. As you may notice, some of the transfers don't have completely clean edges because some icing slipped underneath the stencil. Such slipping is inevitable, so use a zester or Microplane tool to gently file any rough or uneven edges. My experience with these transfers in recent weeks suggests that holding the transfers with their textured sides facing down gives the best results and reduces breakage. I am not sure why handling them in this way would lead to less breakage, but I'm sticking with this approach! 😀 [EDITOR'S NOTE: I too have worked with embossed transfers over recent years. While I haven't observed what Manu did, I have found that holding the transfer close to the edge that's being filed results in less breakage. It seems that this added stability close to the edge reduces torque on the transfer created by the movement of the file. ~JMU]
Step 3: Assemble box, and attach tiles
a. Place the four cookies, mitered edges facing up, flat on a silicone mat in 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions on that mat. Using the same white toothpaste-consistency royal icing used for stenciling, pipe a line along the mitered edge of the 9 o'clock cookie that is closest to the 6 o'clock cookie. BTW, I used a parchment cone with an opening roughly equivalent to a Wilton #3 round tip. (Of course, you could start piping and assembly with any of the other three cookies; I am just explaining exactly what is shown in my pictures here.)
b. Place the 9 o'clock and 6 o'clock cookies together along their mitered edges, making sure that the icing piped in the last step makes good contact with both cookies, and that the two cookies are perpendicular to one another. You'll end up with an "L"-shaped assembly.
c. Pipe another line of icing along the mitered edge of the 3 o'clock cookie that is closest to the 6 o'clock cookie. Pipe a line of icing along both mitered edges of the 12 o'clock cookie.
d. Attach the 12 o'clock cookie to the "L"-shaped assembly to get a "C". Again, make sure it is perpendicular to the cookie in the 9 o'clock position.
e. Set the remaining 3 o'clock cookie in the gap, and gently press it into place against the mitered edges of the two adjacent cookies.
f. Make sure all sides are perpendicular to one another and meet at 90-degree angles in the box corners.
g. Reinforce the box corners by piping more icing along the inside seams.
h. Gently push the icing into the seams with a small craft paint brush, and then let the icing dry a few hours without moving the box.
i. Place one of the transfers, embossed side facing down, on a silicone mat, and pipe a square approximately 1/4 inch (6 mm) away from the edge of the transfer. Make sure the square is centered on the transfer.
j. Lift the box, and gently set it on the transfer, making sure it is centered on the icing.
k. Set four stenciled royal icing transfers, embossed sides facing down, around the box. One transfer should be aligned with each box side. Using the same white icing, pipe a line along the lower edge of one of the box sides.
l. Pipe another line along the upper edge of that side, and more icing elsewhere on the "interior" of that side.
m. Last, pipe a line along both vertical edges of that side.
n. Lift the stenciled transfer, and gently press it into the icing to attach it to the side.
o. Repeat Steps 3k to 3n to glue another stenciled transfer to an adjacent box side.
p/q. Repeat Steps 3k to 3n to attach the last two stenciled transfers to the remaining two box sides.
r. Using the same white icing in the same parchment cone (with an opening roughly equivalent to a Wilton #3 tip), pipe a trailing beaded border along the top edge of the box to create a more finished look.
Step 4: Decorate box lid and sides
a. Place the sixth stenciled transfer, the lid of the cookie box, on a soft surface (such as a napkin) to avoid breakage during this step. Using green piping-consistency royal icing in a pastry bag coupled with a tiny flat tip (PME #25 or equivalent), pipe little segments all around the transfer to simulate threaded ribbon. My segments spanned three squares in the mat pattern, and each segment was separated from the next by three empty squares. (Of course, any other pattern you want to pipe would be fine too.)
b. Now pipe three small dollops of icing in the center of the transfer.
c. Attach three royal icing rose transfers to the icing just piped.
d. Change the tip on the piping bag to a small leaf tip (Wilton #349 or equivalent), and pipe little leaves all around the roses.
e. Once the icing is completely dry, the roses will serve as a handle for lifting the lid. (Just be careful not to break the delicate points on the leaves when lifting!)
f. Change the tip back to the flat tip (PME #25 or equivalent), and pipe little segments of green royal icing all around each side of the box, in the same fashion as you did for the lid.
g. Place the box on a pretty plate.
h. Gently place the lid on the box, and - tada - the project is complete!
And now some close-up photos of this box and my other variations . . .
I decided to fill my needlepoint box with candied almonds. In Italy, candied almonds are commonly given as wedding and baptism favors, and they are called "confetti". (I know, confusing, right?! It gets even more so because, in Italian, the word for small pieces of colored paper thrown at celebrations, what English-speakers call "confetti", is "coriandoli"! 😀)
Here's another view with the lid in place . . .
And here's the variation made with tiles stenciled onto plain acetate. It's so simple, yet so elegant, IMO.
And last but not least, here's my two-color variation. To accentuate the lacy mat design, I first spread a layer of white royal icing into the mat crevices, and then I spread royal icing of a contrasting pink color over the entire square stencil opening.
It's interesting to note that @Julia M. Usher used this very same method a couple of months ago to make two-tone transfers in the VIP session of her "Heart's Desire" class (see photo below). You might say that two great minds think alike, but I imagine that both Julia and I were inspired by techniques first used by Michele Hester (SugarVeil® founder) to make edible fabric with her Confectionery Icing! [EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, Michele was indeed my original inspiration - although it was my students who urged me to try her two-tone technique with royal icing! ~JMU]
And now, my usual video recap. Enjoy!
Ciao, Manu
P.S. Don't forget that you can get 10% off all SugarVeil® mats and other products at any time if you SHOP HERE using code JULIA! Thank you, @Julia M. Usher, for sharing these special savings with us! [EDITOR'S NOTE: My pleasure! And, in full disclosure-mode, that "SHOP HERE" link is my affiliate link. All affiliate earnings help pay for the upkeep of this site. ~JMU]
Manuela Pezzopane, affectionately called Manu by her friends and family, is the author of the blog feature Made by Manu, where each month she shares the method behind a magical cookie of her own making. In March 2022, Manu also assumed the role of host of our rebranded and reformatted Cookie Connection Challenges: Watch-Learn-Create Series, which debuted in a virtual video format in July 2022. A fan of everything handmade, Manu professes to have tried every possible hobby. However, it wasn’t until the end of 2014, when an American friend invited her to a Christmas cookie exchange, that she first discovered decorated cookies. In 2015, after watching Julia M. Usher's videos and signing up on Cookie Connection, Manu finally attempted her own designs. Since then, cookie decorating has become Manu’s passion, and her mesmerizing video shorts have earned her a large and loyal following throughout the global cookie community. Manu harks from Rome, Italy, where she currently resides. You can email Manu at manubiscottidecorati@gmail.com, follow her on Facebook and Instagram, or explore her past challenges and large library of Made by Manu tutorials here on Cookie Connection.
Photo credit: Manuela Pezzopane
Note: Made by Manu is a Cookie Connection blog feature written by Manuela Pezzopane, where each month she shares the method behind a magical cookie of her own making. 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 Manuela's past Made by Manu tutorials, click here. And to see all of Cookie Connection's tutorials, click here.
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