Sugar Skull Questions Answered:  This week I've had many phone calls asking sugar skull questions:  

Q - My sugar skulls are crumbling like dry beach sand - the Royal Icing is rolling off.  What can I do to salvage my skulls?A - You didn't use our commercial grade meringue powder!  Hobby store meringue powder is OK for making cupcake icing, but NOT for heavy granules of sugar in the skulls. There is an emergency fix where you warm up your electric oven to 200 degrees, load your sugar skull blanks onto thick layers of newspaper on the rack and then immediately TURN OFF the oven and shut the door for 8 hours. Full explanation on our Sugar Skull Instruction page.

Q - What's the best sugar skull mold to use? A - Our "Family KIT" is a great way to start. It comes with our 2 most popular molds (Original medium & Original large) and a small amount of decorating supplies. It's a starter kit. For a big event, classroom or party, the only choice that won't drive you insane is to make the Original Medium, 1 piece, flat back sugar skull. After you have tried the Original medium, you will enjoy the Original large, BIG EYES, Oaxaca medium, Altar medium 2 1/2 inch and Oaxaca small then the jumbo Oaxaca XL. This is the order of popularity.  Read the instructions to help you decide what's best for you.

Q - What's the colored tin foil for?     A - Mexican sugar skulls always use colored tin foil (pasted down with icing) around the eyes, mouths and the rectangle across the forehead. This is where the name of the honored ancestor is written with icing. The sugar skull is a joyful "offering" to the visiting spirit and placed on the ofrenda. So, buying fancy sugar skulls is a big deal in Mexico. Remember, a sugar skull represents a departed soul for a very important religious holiday - so don't offend anyone with your sugar skulls. 

Q - Do I have to mix the Royal Icing a full 9 minutes? A - Yes. Use a stand mixer like a KitchenAid or borrow one from a friend. Make the icing the night before the decorating event.TIP: Use a 2 pound plastic bag of powdered sugar per batch of icing and not the 1 lb dried out boxes of powdered sugar. Our disposable icing bags are a life saver! - especially for kids. One batch of Royal Icing can make small 12 icing bags. It's hard to manipulate an icing bag if it feels like you're milking a cow.  Lots of colors in small bags, tied with cable ties is best... And ours are very inexpensive.  It's a common mistake to not have enough icing bags for a group event.