Adventures in Sugarland: Cameo Cookie Journey

My journey through the world of sugarcraft, began when I picked up this book by Peggy Porschen. I don't know what drew me to the book, perhaps the amazing pictures on the cover, or the equally amazing projects inside. Whatever it was, I was inspired to begin a new hobby.

Inspide the book are some sweet mini cakes with a cameo on top, wanting to recreate something like this, I purchased my first sugar craft mould, this cameo mould by first impressions.

Today's post is a bit different from normal, about how I developed the design above, from my first attempt below, I'm swallowing my pride and showing you some outtakes and some things that didn't go so well along the way. Not everything )maybe not anything?) comes out the way I want first time, I keep trying and practising until, hopefully, things look the way I want. This is why I reverse into my parking space at work every morning, but that is another story for another day.

April 2012

I am going to show you my first attempt at the Cameo Cookie, I'm quite nervous about it actually, but, here it is. I made these in April 2012. I don't think they look too bad. These were rose flavoured cookies so I wanted to make them pink, but overdid the pink in the cookie mix and also had not yet learnt the trick yet about using violet colouring to take the yellow out to get a true pink. The cookies are slightly misshapen and those piped royal icing dots need a bit more practise.

September 2012

So, a while after, in September, I decided to have another go, wanting to avoid the piping I decided to use fluted oval cutouts of fondant to try to create the effect. Here one is. I couldn't get the brand of silver paint that I wanted. The one I used looked OK when it was wet, but dried looking too matt and a bit grainy. Then, even worse, all of my photos came out really badly, so I didn't feel I could show you. This is actually quite a pretty cookie with a lovely domed effect

Dissapointed, I tried a few other paint and colour combinations. Two were dreadful, the paint was all grainy and yucky, but this one didn't look too bad and this is what I developed into the cookies you see at the top of the page and below

Today's Version

Equipment and Materials

Cameo Silicone Mould (First Impressions)

Small bow mould (Sunflower Sugarart)

A "pokey stick" (See below)

A batch of sugar cookies cur with a fluted oval cutter (My recipe here)

Sugar pearls

Sugar Paste coloured with dusky pink gel colour (sugar flair)

White Sugar Florist Paste / Petal Paste / Gum Paste

Small paintbrush

Edible glue

Method

Take a small amount of Petal Paste / Gum Paste and knead until very soft and stretchy. Start to press this into the centre of the mould and use a "pokey stick" like the one shown in the picture to work the past into all the parts of the Lady, her hair and clothes. This can be quite tricky as the petal paste / gum paste doesn't always want to stick and may keep springing back. You just have to keep at it.

Next take a small amount of the dusky pink fondant and fill the rest of the mould with this to make the background. Pop the mould out.

That is the tricky part done. All you have to do now is assemble the cookie.

Roll out the dusky pink fondant about 5mm thick. Cut out ovals using the same cutter you used for the cookie and stick these on with edible glue or piping gel
Position your moulded cameo in the centre of the cookie.
Mould a bow in white petal paste / gum paste and position this at the base of the cameo.
Use a small paint brush to paint a ring of edible glue around the cameo for the sugar pearls.
Stick on the sugar pearls around the cameo. A pair of clean tweezers can help. The pearls look best with small gaps between them.