Chef_Beth

Oh ss Elizabeth! Maybe next year! Now you can really look into how to make one & practice a couple times. Next Christmas you will have a masterpiece! Get better soon!

Loretta they are made with piped meringue then painted with diluted cocoa powder. Mix a tiny bit of cocoa powder with a little clear alcohol (such as vodka or gin, don't worry the alcohol evaporates) Then use a food safe paint brush to brush your design on. Or you can also very lightly dust the tops with the cocoa powder & then use a food safe paint brush & brush it in the direction you want your design to go. The alcohol method is easier to avoid blobs, but be sure not to have to much liquid on your brush or you will mush up your meringue. The smaller mushrooms are made in 2 parts. The stems are piped with a pastry bag into cone shaped stems. Leave the points on. The tops are piped into slightly domed circles. Then you dry them, then paint & assemble them. Use a drop of royal icing to attach the stems to the tops if they don't want to stay on. The larger shelf mushrooms are made the same way as the tops of the smaller ones just not so domed, 1/2 circles, & thinner so you can stack them in layers like the real ones. Make lots of extras, they break easily.
Just remember to let your shrooms dry completely before painting or assembling them & have fun!