Calaveras De Dulces ( Mexican Sugar Skulls)
- 1 egg white (essential for hardening of the sugar)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 7 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 cups cornstarch
- anise extract or cinnamon extract (if you plan on eating these) (optional)
- food coloring (I like the new neon colors)
- You will also need sequins, for decorating the eyes.
- Combine the egg white and water until foamy.
- Add extract (if using) and corn syrup.
- Add confectioners sugar; you'll end up having to use your hands to incorporate all of it.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of the cornstarch on a work surface and knead the sugar paste in the cornstarch until it's smooth.
- Form a ball and wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap; chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
- Pinch off some of the sugar paste to use with food coloring for decorations.
- With the rest of the paste you should have enough for about 8 skulls; they don't have to be very big, less than the size of a small fist.
- Sculpt the piece of sugar paste into a skull shape, smoothing the surface as you go and forming eye sockets, etc.
- (You can find some really good examples on various sites on the internet--).
- You'll find that the paste gets softer and softer the warmer it gets-- if it sticks too much, add more cornstarch.
- Add food colors (and extracts, if using) to the sugar paste that you set aside; generally the brighter the colors the better.
- If you wish, you can add enough water to form more of an icing and it can be squeezed onto the skulls, if not, forming decorations by hand is okay, too.
- The skulls are generally"cheery" looking and colorful, not particularly scary.
- Finish by using sequins in the eye sockets.
- Now your skull is ready to dry.
- Simply let it sit out in a dry, warm place for a few hours or up to a couple of days based on weather conditions.
- When dry, it's ready to display.
egg, water, light corn syrup, sugar, cornstarch, anise, food coloring
Taken from www.food.com/recipe/calaveras-de-dulces-mexican-sugar-skulls-103931 (may not work)