Independence Day Treats

Rice Krispies treats cut with cookie cutters, buttercream frosting

Focus-having fun trying out different borders and techniques

I was itching to decorate something and I thought it would be fun to decorate rice krispies treats for Independence Day.  For one thing, rice krispies treats are easy to make and clean up, and they also can be cut with cookie cutters pretty easily.  I used plastic cookie cutters, but any kind will most likely work.  I wanted to try out a few different borders and things so I will list the techniques used with each picture.

Red, White and Blue Basketweave Star

Techniques Used-basketweave

There isn't much to say about the star except that I think it turned out nicely.  I would've used a star tip for the red if I had one available, but it still looks good using a round tip.  I didn't use a basketweave tip for this star.

Blue Firework and White Star

Techniques Used-star, dot, E-motion border

For the Fireworks, I used one tip only.  To get the different sizes of stars, I changed the pressure.  Next time, I will try to just do one size to see what effect that gives.  By the way, I think the cookie cutter shape may be called "Blue Ribbon."  It wasn't part of the Independence Day set.  For the star, I did an E-motion border in white and then added blue and red stars for color. 

Braided Star

Techniques Used-star, braid, Fleur de lis

This was the one I was most excited to try, the reason being that I wanted to try out the braid as a border.  I hadn't seen that in any of my decorating books, so thought it might not be a common border.  I'm glad with how it turned out.  The Fleur de lis is in the middle.   To make a Fleur de lis, you start with a shell down the middle.  Then you do a reverse shell on both sides of the shell.  Pretty simple, yet elegant. 

Reverse Shell and White Flower Star

Techniques Used-reverse shell border, star flower

I like the look of the reverse shell, but I think the hardest part for me is remembering which way to go.  I saw a YouTube video where the decorator was doing it really fast, and I thought I would try to do it fast too.  It didn't work out in certain areas, but she did an amazing job on her cake.

United States Flag, White Stars

Techniques Used-star, dot, writing, Fleur de lis

Next time, I think I will spread red frosting and then pipe white stripes.  These didn't turn out as well as I would've liked.  Part of it was that the rice krispies treats formed to the plate after, so the flagpole was originally straight.  Also, I was piping the red frosting the way I would for writing (slightly above the treat) when I needed to pipe directly onto the treat.  Live and learn, right?  The two white stars are just a bunch of stars and then dots on the corners. 

Cowboy boots, Red and Blue Stars

Techniques Used-piping, star, dot, shell

The cowboy boots were fun to do.  I learned from the flag that I needed to pipe closer to the treat than with writing.  Also, when I cut out the boots, I used the same cutter, but flipped it over to make the second shoe.  Both stars use shells.  The difference is that the red one uses two little shells for each point, while the blue one uses one. 

Braided Cowboy Hat, Blue Star, Fireworks

Techniques Used-braid border, star, zigzag/shell border, dot

I thought the braid would look good on a hat, plus I wanted to try the braid border again.  The blue star is something I thought I saw on a video, but I can't find the video anymore.  It's just a shell with a slight side-to-side movement.  I think it had a nice effect, adding texture to a simple star.

Another USA Flag, Rope Border Cowboy Hat

Techniques Used-rope border, star, writing, dot

I've already discussed how to make these, but I thought you would like a closer picture of these as well.  I think this flag looks much better, even with the bent flagpole.

These Rice Krispies Treats were decorated July 2011.