Creating a Water Droplet Effect

Leah! Hi!

 

Marian was most likely using isomalt, which is a form of sugar less prone to wilting or weeping in humid conditions, and to recrystallizing. It's easier to work with than real sugar for these reasons, so I'd suggest checking it out.

 

You simply dissolve it in water, bring it to a boil and then heat to the hard crack stage. Then drop it on lined cookie sheets to create "water drops." It will harden to candy consistency and then you can stick those pieces onto cookies. You can do the same thing by moistening sugar to a sludge and then boiling to the same stage, but sugar is more vulnerable to doing weird things (as noted above) if ambient conditions are not dry. Isomalt is readily available online. Here it is on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Isomalt-...amp;keywords=isomalt

 

More about various sugar stages can be found here: http://www.joyofbaking.com/StagesOfCookedSugar.html

 

I hope this helps!

Thank you!  I live in Arizona, we are forever dry.  

 

I will look into ordering this on Amazon! 

Well then, regular sugar may be just fine for you. It's so darn humid here in Missouri, and especially this spring, that I rarely risk pulled or shaped (regular) sugar here unless it's going to be eaten almost immediately.

Leah,  I'm not familiar with Isomalt either - and so I decided to use Rock Candy.  My Party City has rock candy on sticks on their candy isle in different solid colors.  I bought the clear rock candy to create my droplets with.  Simply break it into the small pieces and place on parchment paper in the microwave very briefly to melt.  Allow to cool and peel off your paper.  Now you have droplets!  =)  This was easier for me than ordering a product I wasn't familiar with and also the Party City or candy stores are easily accessible for me.  Maybe this will help?  Letitia

Thanks Letitia- 

 

I may try this, it would save the additional steps of making my own.  

 

leah

A nonstick mat is on my supply list for a first attempt at making droplets, plus a $2 (US) mold from CountryKitchenSA for making a variety of tiny gems. I had been thinking of trying to make droplets on the blank area of the mold instead. Now I wonder if there is an easier or less expensive way? Has anyone with isomalt experience tried the boiled sugar or rock candy method? Wonder how they compare?

Julia, both links you posted at the beginning of this lead to Amazon. Can you suggest another resource? Thanks!

Sorry, I corrected the second link so it directs to sugar stage information (lots of other takes on the same material elsewhere online, BTW). As for sources of isomalt, it's widely available off Amazon - try Global Sugar Art or Country Kitchen Sweet Art to start; they are two good all-purpose sugar art suppliers.

You can drop the sugar onto parchment paper - if it was brought to the right stage/temperature and is cool, it will pop right off it; you don't need a silicone mat. A silicone mat won't buckle though (while parchment paper can), which is helpful when making bigger sugar pieces. But a lot of silicone mats have texture to them (small cross-hatch pattern), which will be picked up in the sugar - this may not be something you want to see.

I love this effect on the cookies! Thanks for all the tips!