What's the best way to stick sprinkles to cookies without icing?

Question

I am making sugar cookies that I want to decorate with sprinkles, but I don't really want to mess about with making royal icing, which is what the recipe calls for. In the past, I've used clear corn syrup as a flavourless sprinkle "glue" and it's what I'd use now, except that I haven't seen it in the grocery store here in the Netherlands.

Are there any other easy to make options for "sprinkle glue"? I've seen references on the web to using some sort of glaze, but in my experience, this wouldn't set up hard enough to hold sprinkles to a cookie. Maybe it needs special proportions for this application?

Asked by Allison

Answer

If corn syrup works, it seems to me that simple syrup (i.e. a saturated solution of sugar and water) ought to work, too.

Answered by Marti

Check more discussion of this question.

How to create a gummy candy cake?

Question

I want to give my gf a present for Valentine's day that consists on a board with glued gummy candy, marshmallows... all that lovely sweet stuff. When put all together it will be like a romantic painting but with glued gummy candy instead.

However, I don't know what to use as a frame to stick the candy and also what to glue them with!

Is there anyway to make/(buy) some kind of edible frame? I'm ok with plastic or glass but if it could be edible it would turn out awesome! :) Furthermore, do you have any ideas on what to glue the candy?

Final Result:

This is what I ended up doing. The base is a sponge flan cake, which I bought in the supermarket. Regarding the glue, I was presented with the options of a pure glucose syrup and a shinning glucose gel. I chose the latter, since I was told it was commonly used to stick crystallised fruits in cakes and that sort of stuff :)

Thank you all for the tips and the inspiration. She loved it ;)

Asked by MobileCushion

Answer

For the frame, I would suggest baking a cake, brownies, gingerbread or even cookie dough in a baking sheet (so it's one big, quite thin piece). But put the temperature of the oven lower than if you would use a regular baking mold. You could also use a piece of styrofoam/polystyrene*, covered with tin foil. Then you can use tooth picks to hold everything in place. To cover the tin foil, use sour strips, marshmallows...

As glue you can use chocolate or caramel if it should sit quite steady. You can also use edible glue (this is often used to glue pieces of fondant to cupcakes). If you present it horizontally, you can use a lot (syrup, honey, jello, icing, even a thick pudding...). I think you could even melt some candy and use it as glue. I have no idea however how strong this would be.

*) I'm not sure this is the correct English term. To be clear, I mean this.

Answered by Mien

Check more discussion of this question.

How to create a gummy candy “painting”?

Question

I want to give my gf a present for Valentine's day that consists on a board with glued gummy candy, marshmallows... all that lovely sweet stuff. When put all together it will be like a romantic painting but with glued gummy candy instead.

However, I don't know what to use as a frame to stick the candy and also what to glue them with!

Is there anyway to make/(buy) some kind of edible frame? I'm ok with plastic or glass but if it could be edible it would turn out awesome! :) Furthermore, do you have any ideas on what to glue the candy?

Final Result:

This is what I ended up doing. The base is a sponge flan cake, which I bought in the supermarket. Regarding the glue, I was presented with the options of a pure glucose syrup and a shinning glucose gel. I chose the latter, since I was told it was commonly used to stick crystallised fruits in cakes and that sort of stuff :)

Thank you all for the tips and the inspiration. She loved it ;)

Asked by MobileCushion

Answer

For the frame, I would suggest baking a cake, brownies, gingerbread or even cookie dough in a baking sheet (so it's one big, quite thin piece). But put the temperature of the oven lower than if you would use a regular baking mold. You could also use a piece of styrofoam/polystyrene*, covered with tin foil. Then you can use tooth picks to hold everything in place. To cover the tin foil, use sour strips, marshmallows...

As glue you can use chocolate or caramel if it should sit quite steady. You can also use edible glue (this is often used to glue pieces of fondant to cupcakes). If you present it horizontally, you can use a lot (syrup, honey, jello, icing, even a thick pudding...). I think you could even melt some candy and use it as glue. I have no idea however how strong this would be.

*) I'm not sure this is the correct English term. To be clear, I mean this.

Answered by Mien

Check more discussion of this question.

What are the different effects that different washes produce in baked goods?

Question

Just before you put something with dough in the oven, often you have to brush it with a liquid. I've seen recipes that say with egg wash, with egg yolk, with egg white, with milk etc.

Does it make a difference what you use for brushing? If yes, what is best suited for what purpose (shining, browning, I don't know what else)?

Asked by Mien

Answer

The best resource I've seen is here at The Fresh Loaf.

• Egg yolk produces a shiny and dark look but remains soft.
• Egg white is still soft but less shiny.
• Milk and water only darken it slightly and produce what the article calls a 'satin' look.
• Butter makes it shiny, smooth, rich, and well, buttery!

Answered by rfusca

Check more discussion of this question.