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Cooking
Homemade Sugar Eyes for Decorating Desserts
· 20 servings
Making the icing base
In a bowl, lightly whisk the egg white with a few drops of lemon juice. You don't need stiff peaks - just whisk it into a light foam. The lemon helps give the icing a lovely shine and makes it last longer.
Thickening with sugar
Gradually start whisking in the icing sugar (ideally sifted first). Keep whisking until you get a thick, smooth mixture. It needs to hold its shape but still be a little runny. If it's too thick, carefully add a few drops of water. If it's too thin, add more sugar.
Piping the eyes
Line a flat tray or board with baking paper. Transfer the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (or simply snip off the corner of the bag). Pipe circles, ovals, teardrops, or whatever shapes you like onto the paper - these will be the whites of your sugar eyes.
Painting the pupils
Let the white shapes air-dry slightly for about 15-30 minutes. Then take some gel food colouring and carefully add a dot or dash in the middle of each shape - straight from the tube, or using a skewer or small brush - to create the pupil.
Final drying
Let the finished sugar eyes dry thoroughly at room temperature. Depending on their size and the humidity in the air, this takes anywhere from 12 to 48 hours. They should peel off the paper easily and feel completely hard to the touch.
Storage and shelf life
Once completely dry, carefully peel the eyes off the paper and store them in an airtight container. Keep them somewhere dry and dark, like a pantry - definitely not in the fridge! Moisture would make them melt. Stored this way, they'll stay ready to use for several months.