3d Trojan Horse Cookies

[violiavampyr]

So my friend is hosting a murder mystery party tomorrow and it's Greek Gods themed. I'll be bringing ambrosia and (if I'm successful in this endeavor) 10 3d mini Trojan horses made from sugar cookie cutouts (I prefer sugar cookies to gingerbread).
I've made gingerbread houses before and last week I made D4's (pic via Photobucket) that went over well. The pic isn't the greatest, they looked much better in person. They're super shiny because of a fresh layer of airbrush food color.

I used this recipe for the icing - http://www.food.com/recipe/frosting-cement-190199 It seemed to do it's job well enough and was edible, it just took FOREVER to dry. I'm wanting something a little quicker drying. Any suggestions? I was thinking perhaps chocolate, but I don't know if it'd be strong enough to transport.

I think I've got the general idea for the structure down pretty well. I found a papercraft Trojan hose and I think that will be a good starting point. I'm thinking about making the tail and mane out of cotton candy or something.

Also I can't figure out what type of prizes to put inside. Last week I put dice inside the dice, but I just can't find anything that fits within the theme.

[dalesys]

... can't find anything that fits within the theme.

Any gift that looks like something else... Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes
Fortunes inside that match up with larger "gifts" to the side.

Onion "fruit" leather like my mother made...
A dark brown bar of soap wrapped like chocolate...
Root beer & milk looks like chocolate milk... or cafe au lait...
Freeze dried fruit cocktail looks like pet kibble...

[CoffeeMonkey]

I used this recipe for the icing - http://www.food.com/recipe/frosting-cement-190199 It seemed to do it's job well enough and was edible, it just took FOREVER to dry. I'm wanting something a little quicker drying. Any suggestions? I was thinking perhaps chocolate, but I don't know if it'd be strong enough to transport.

I would just use a stiffer royal icing. It's basically what you've got there, just more powdered sugar (or less egg white.) Make it just loose enough to get through your piping bag. Keep your tip covered with a wet paper towel, as if the icing dries inside it, it's a bear to clean out.

Another trick is to make sure you're mixing your icing in a metal or glass bowl, and that there's no grease in the bowl. (Plastic bowls are a bit of a no no, because plastic and fat are molecularly VERY similar. So similar that fat bonds to the plastic, and it is almost impossible to get it all off.) When fat gets into royal icing, it prevents it from setting up.

[violiavampyr]

Yeah I used to have a nice metal one, but ex absconded with them. I've got a good sized ceramic bowl and a glass one that should be big enough. Oh, my kingdom for a kitchen aid.

[violiavampyr]

Should I switch up the cream of Tartar for Meringue Powder?

[CoffeeMonkey]

Meringue powder is generally used when one doesn't want to use raw egg white. All told, there's not much of a risk. The icing is so dry after it sets that there's no real chance for bacterial growth, and shell eggs aren't the major source of salmonella infections. (that would be eggs that are all cracked into a giant communal tub, where one infected egg can contaminate the whole bunch.) Of course, using a pasteurized egg white product gets around the whole thing.

People have different opinions on what makes better royal, egg white or meringue powder (which is just processed egg white anyway.) I use egg. Cheaper, it sets up well, and I've never had an issue with it. Cream of tartar is used to stabilize whipped whites, and frankly, I've never whipped the whites, so there's no need for cream of tartar.

How I make royal icing (and how my wedding cakes teacher had our class do it) is to put an egg white in a bowl, whisk it up a bit, add a drop of lemon juice, then whisk it with powdered sugar, adding more until it's the thickness is how you want it.

Flooding icing is used to fill in large areas that already have borders piped. It's runny and flows readily.
Stiffer icing that holds its shape when piped is used for borders, details, brush embroidery, etc.
Even stiffer icing, which is very thick, is used for stringwork and Australian lace. (If you want to make yourself crazy, try doing some of that. It's gorgeous and painstaking.) If you're having a hard time getting the icing to dry properly, try using something like this. the other benefit of thicker icing is that it will stay neater in those seams. Like spackle!

It's not an exact science. If it's too thick to work with, add a drop of water or lemon juice until it's right. If it's too runny, add some more sugar.

Good luck!

[violiavampyr]

Here's my results. I decided to go with one big Trojan Horse and a Pandora's Box. Neither are as pristine as I was hoping for, but I got what I wanted- containers for miniatures. We went with minis from the Reaper Bones line as gifts (all of the party attendees are Wargamers, so they already are geared for minis).
Pics on Photobucket

The mohawk on the horse is a sparkle gel, but it dripped and I wasn't happy with that. The frosting is a stiff chocolate butter cream. The tail and wheels I just painted red food color on.
The eyes are some mints I happened to have.

Pandora's Box is a layer a royal icing and airbrushed yellow. I then brushed it with cocoa powder. Helpful Girl Child #2 painted the design on the lid (she was also a super help in cutting up the fruit for the ambrosia).

I have no idea how it tasted, but my boyfriend said it tasted good. My football team helmet cut outs always over well at football parties.

Making frosting/icing is the part I like the least about decorating. I can never get it to be consistently the same. It just seems that I devote so much energy to mixing frosting that by the time I actually get to the decorating I'm burnt out.