Roses? For Me? {How-to Make Ribbon Roses}

February 11, 2012 | 82 Comments »

Prepare for a little flashback.  I’ve talked about ribbon roses before, but I love them so much, I felt like they deserved a second round.  So, here we go again.

I’ve had a thing for ribbon roses since the first time I laid eyes on THESE GORGEOUS COOKIES from Ali-Bee’s Bake Shop.

I could go into a whole long winded story, but the short version is, Ali led me to Loren, who’d recorded THIS VIDEO on making ribbon roses and soon after came HERE to share her technique.

Hope ya’ll are still following me…

Anywho…somewhere in the middle of all of this, I decided to do a three part series on royal icing roses, one being simple roses, the next mini-Wilton style roses, and the third a PICTORAL version of ribbon roses.

I did the first two but for some reason never got around to posting the ribbon roses until now.  So, FINALLY, here they are…ribbon roses SweetSugarBelle-style.

To make ribbon roses you will need:

  • stiff piping icing in the color of your choice
  • a 101 petal tip
  • #9 flower nail
  • 1*1 wax paper squares

Ribbon roses are simple to make unique to the person making them.  This is just a basic idea to get you started.  Once you’ve got it down, I’ll hope you’ll take this information and practice until it feels right to you.

Use a tiny bit of royal icing to attach the waxed paper to the flower nail.  Then, with the thin side of the tip pointing up make a little cone-ish shaped blob in the center.

Without breaking the ribbon hold the icing bag at an angle and begin spinning the nail with your fingers while guiding the icing around the rose center.

Keep in mind that the angle at which you hold the piping bag makes a difference in the appearance of the rose.

Keep wrapping until the rose is a good size, then remove it from the nail and place on a cookie sheet to dry.  To be safe, I usually give them 24 to 48 hours before using. However, I’ve used them way sooner in a pinch.

See the difference between these three roses?  I used the same technique and tip, but completely changed each flower by applying at different levels of pressure and piping at different angles.

Ribbon roses can be stored in a cool, dry place and they will last for a very long time. Just be sure to keep them out of sunlight, because they can fade.

For added protection you can also add gel silica packets to the storage container, as my friend Haniela suggested HERE.

Before I go, I’d like to share is how I make shaded ribbon roses.  You can do this several ways, including using bags like THESE, or  KAREN’S BAG TRICK to create your own version, but I always opt for the the lazy way.

First spread a thin layer of color onto plastic wrap.  The stripe can be as wide or narrow as you like.  Next spread another layer of color over the first.  Then, wrap it all up, add a tip and you’re ready to go.

See the shading this creates?  You can change things up by loosening the coupler and turning the icing tip a few degrees.

Easy+Pretty=PERFECT

Ribbon roses make beautiful accents for cookies such as these, although do admit, this set may be better for looking than eating.  In any case, you get the idea.

TRY THIS SOON!  Besides being pretty, they are also a great use for leftover icing.

If you like making ribbon roses, I think you’ll love these fun tutorials also.

If you prefer to learn these things by watching a video, Loren has a great one HERE, or you can also check out Ali-Bee’s latest HERE.

Remember what I said!  It’s perfectly okay to adapt this technique to what works best for YOU, so keep practicing until you find your way!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Icing Accents, Royal Icing Accents, Sweet Sugar Belle, Tutorials, Valentine's Day Cookies
82 Comments »