I feel like it’s a bit criminal to call this a full project, because there’s barely any instructions – two steps and you’ll be done! The end result is totally worth it though… five minutes of effort for some very pretty looking desserts isn’t a bad deal at all hey?
If you’ve got a party coming up or you just want to try your hand at using the world’s most delicate crafting material, then follow along below!
Materials
- Edible gold leaf
- White marshmallows
- Long lollipop sticks or skewers
- A craft knife (clean and sterilised)
- A paint brush (clean, preferably new)
Step 1
Skewer your marshmallows onto your lollipop sticks. I used two marshmallows per stick.
Step 2
This is the tricky bit! Using your scalpel, cut off bits of the gold leaf from your sheet and place them onto your marshmallows. Gently pat them into place with a dry, clean paint brush.
The marshmallows you get in the store are generally very dry on the outside – they have a fine coating of powder which the gold leaf doesn’t stick to very well (ironically enough, it sticks to everything else that it touches!). So depending on the type of marshmallows you’re using, you may need to wet them very slightly before applying your gold leaf.
And that’s it! Once all your marshmallows are covered, your pops will be all ready for displaying and eating. It’s really that simple.
The one thing to watch out for with this project is the trickiness of the gold leaf. Thankfully, it’s one of those things that really does get better with practice, especially if you’ve never used the stuff before.
Oh, and make sure you don’t sneeze or breath heavily or sigh or cough and don’t do this in a place where there are any drafts or breezes or gusts. Seriously. Wind of any sort will not be your friend when you’re working with gold leaf – it’s the most delicate of materials. I couldn’t believe how many times I almost blew the whole project away before I’d even started!
This is still very new to me, so all I could manage this time around were abstract, rough-looking blobs. I know there are some folk out there who can work this stuff into various shapes and make it look all sorts of amazing. If you’re one of those people, I’d love to know any pointers you might have!
xx Steph