Easy, Stunning, Dimensional Icing Flowers

To make this royal icing flower you will need:

- Stiff consistency royal icing in one or two shades of red (or any other color)

- A petal piping tip (I used Wilton #104)

- A flower nail (I used Wilton #7)

- Large white sugar pearls

- Decorating bags and couplers

- A pair of food safe tweezers

- Wax paper cut into small squares

Prepare your royal icing according to the directions of your favorite royal icing recipe. Color your icing using gel food coloring and load it into a decorating bag. To add a shaded effect to your flowers, load two different shades of icing into the same decorating bag.

When you’re ready to begin piping your flowers, add a square of wax paper to your flower nail, sticking it in place with a touch of icing or a piece of double-sided tape. Start by piping a small circle in the center. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look pretty, you are going to be stacking flower petals on top of it.

Next, beginning just inside the edge of the piped circle, apply pressure to your piping bag and pull outward, make a u-turn back towards the center when you reach the edge of your flower nail. Release the pressure as you get to the center point where you started your petal. Continue around the circle repeating this process until you have a complete circle of petals.

Create a second layer of shorter petals by repeating the process on top of the first layer.

While the icing is still wet, use your tweezers to add a large white sugar pearl to the center of your flower.

Gently remove the wax paper from your flower nail and set your icing flower aside until it is completely dry. I like to lay my icing flowers out on a cookie sheet overnight protected by a mesh food cover.

For more easy, stunning, dimensional icing flowers, check out the tutorials for Icing Flower #1 and Icing Flower #3.