CANDY BUTTONS ON PAPER RECIPES

Steps:

• cut white paper into 12 2x11in strips. using and electric mixer, beat the confectioners sugar and egg white until thick and smooth about 5 minutes. divide the icing into 2 small bowls. stir in 3 drops of yellow food coloring into one batch and 3 drops of blue food coloring into the other. cover the blue icing with plastic wrap.
• arrange the paper strips side by side on a work surface. scrape the yellow icing into a small, resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner. pipe out the icing onto the paper strips in dots, about 1/3 inch apart in even rows of 3. when about a quarter of the yellow icing remains, add approximately the same amount of blue icing to the bag, stirring with a toothpick. continue to pipe green icing dots onto each paper strip. transfer the blue icing to another small, resealable plastic bag and continue piping. let the dots sit at room temperature until hardened, 12 hours or overnight.

Steps:

• In a standing mixer fitted with the whip, or with an electric hand mixer, beat together the meringue powder and water until stiff peaks form. Blend in 3 cups of the confectioner's sugar. Mix in the corn syrup, shortening, and vanilla extract. Add more confectioner's sugar, 1/2 to 1 cup more, to desired consistency. Divide the icing into bowls for the number of colors you are making. Add a dash of fruit extract(s) to each bowl of icing if you'd like to add flavoring. Tint each bowl of icing with the food coloring. Fill the decorating bags and close tightly with rubber bands. Snip the tips of the decorating bags. Cut strips of freezer paper size 2-inches by 8 1/2-inches. Place a strip over the template. Use the blue painter's tape to secure the strip.  Pipe dots of icing on the strip of paper, using the template as a guide. (Alternatively, hold the strip over the template and trace the dots with a food writer. Then pipe on the dots.) When finished, transfer the strip to a baking tray, using the blue tape to hold the paper onto the tray. Let the icing dry overnight before handling and packaging.