Over the next few posts, we will be celebrating beautiful edible centerpieces for your Holiday table. I don’t know about you, but I find that people always seem to be more impressed with something that beautifully dresses the table that appears fake but is actually edible!
I’m going to share a few great ideas for centerpieces that will really WOW your guests, even if you aren’t very crafty. The first idea is one that I came across that is made of rock sugar. Rock sugar is commonly found in unique little gift boxes in packs of 10 or so that people often include in gift baskets with gourmet coffees or teas. You can find them in different flavors and even in a variety of colors. I happened to be in a Trader Joe’s this evening and even found them there! They are made from a very concentrated sugar syrup that creates crystals that adhere to a stick. You can make them large or small and in just about any flavor, including something delicate like saffron. These aren’t just cute little things that can be given as gourmet lollipops, but you also find them in high end restaurants and hotels that serve them alongside your coffee and tea as the sweetener.
The centerpiece that I came across used pre-bought rock sugar on a stick that was inserted into a styrofoam ball to create a lovely centerpiece that looks like icicles. You can either make your own rock sugar or purchase them ahead of time and simply put them together when you need them. The rock sugar is not sticky, so you can make these ahead of time and not worry about attracting unwanted guests. If you had to make them well ahead of time, you could cover the tops with plastic wrap until you were ready to place them on the table. You can make these all the same height or in a group of 3 different heights. It depends on whether your dessert table will be placed against the wall or whether it will have full view all around the table…so keep that in mind as you plan the centerpiece. These would even make great little centerpieces for each table that will accommodate your seated guests. You don’t need too many things to put these beautiful little decorations together, so give it a shot…these gorgeous and glitzy sugar dazzlers are easy for anyone to put together.
How To Make Rock Sugar
3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup water
Corn syrup
Wooden skewers
Granulated sugar
2 clean glass containers
Flat piece of Styrofoam
If you would like to make your own rock sugar on a stick for this display or just to make some to have around the house to serve with coffee or tea, they are really easy to make! Most videos will tell you to use pipe cleaners, but who the heck wants to suck on a pipe cleaner! I found that it is easy to get a few wooden skewers, where one end is flat and the other is sharp. Dip the flat end into some corn syrup and then roll it in granulated sugar, then allow the sticks to dry completely.
The reason that you do this is to give the rock sugar a head start. The crystals that stick to the corn syrup will attract the crystals in the syrup and then create even more crystals, and that’s how it grows. I like to use the skewers because you can poke the sharp end of the skewer through a flat piece of foam to secure it as it hangs in the concentrated syrup…just be careful that the skewer does not touch the bottom of the container that you will be using to grow your crystals.
Next, as the skewers are drying, make the sugar syrup. Add the 3 cups of sugar and the 1 cup of water to a small pot and heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon until all of the sugar has melted. Pour this into a glass container and allow it to cool completely. Once the syrup has cooled, place the dried skewer into the sugar syrup. It will take 3-5 days for your skewers to form a nice large crystal. You can make one or you can make a bunch, just make sure to have a large container to grow them in and you may need to double or triple the amount of syrup.
Every couple of days, you may need to change the glass container to another similar sized one because you will see crystals begin to form at the bottom. I usually reserve a little sugar syrup in another container and add a little more to the new container each time. It looks like this after just one day…
After 2 days…
After 5 days…
After 2 weeks…
After 1 month…
Rock Sugar Holiday Centerpiece
Rock sugar swizzel sticks
Styrofoam ball
Stick that will be used as the stem for the ball (gold/silver luster or spraypaint)
Tall container or flower pot
Decorative stones or candy like M&M’s jelly beans
First you will need a pair of scissors to cut the decorative ball tip off from all of the swizzle sticks so that they can be inserted into the foam ball. Next decided what size foam balls you would like to use and then buy enough rock sugar sticks to cover each ball. First you need to add the stem (stick) into the styrofoam ball but you may decide you want to paint these ahead of time. You can either brush these with a food grade luster either gold or silver or use a little spray paint. Make sure it is completely dry before putting it all together. Next, place this into the styrofoam ball, and depending on how high you are going to make this, you may need to hot glue a cardboard base to the bottom end that will be in the container or flower pot. This isn’t necessary for shorter displays, but the taller ones will need a small base to make it more stabile. You wont see the bottom since it will be at the bottom of the container, so don’t worry about that. Decide on which container you will be using. Will it be glass or a flower pot? Will you use decorative stones or loose candy? Make sure to have everything available so that the centerpieces come together quickly. Begin inserting the sticks or rock sugar until the entire ball is covered with the sticks. Make one or make 10, they are just adorable and can be used over and over again.
Decorated images were shared from Jackiesorkin.blogspot.com
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