Craft Project: Candy Race Cars
Have some fun with the kids by creating candy race cars — make a candy track, and take your car for a sweet ride!
What You’ll Need
- 1 framed corkboard
- 8 regular-size or Double Stuf Oreos
- Royal icing glue (see below)
- 1 king-size Snickers or other large chocolate-covered candy bar
- 1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
- 1 Hershey’s Miniatures bar (or other small chocolate bar)
- 1 (1.55-ounce) chocolate bar, such as Hershey’s (the kind that is evenly divided into rectangles)
- 1 red candy raspberry (such as Haribo’s)
- 1 black candy blackberry (such as Haribo’s)
- 4 small pretzel sticks
- Sour candy strips in red or green, at least 8″ long
- Multicolored sour candy strips, optional
What to Do
- To make four wheels of double thickness, lay out four Oreos. Slather the top of each with royal icing, then cover with another Oreo. Set aside to dry slightly.
- To make the auto body, put the king-size candy bar, right side up, on a nonstick work surface (such as a plate or a small cutting board). Use a sharp paring knife to fashion a cockpit for the driver: trim out a shallow U shape about three-quarters from one end of the candy bar where the seat will go.
- To make a hole for the axles, use the tip of the knife (or a metal or bamboo skewer) to “drill” two holes all the way through the candy bar about ¾” from the front end and about ¾” from the back end. These are where you’ll insert the pretzel-stick axles. (You may need to wiggle the skewer in the hole a little bit to make sure it’s big enough for the pretzel sticks to fit through.)
- To make the seat and seat back, slice the Reese’s cup in half to make two semicircles. Use royal icing to glue one, bottom side down, in the cockpit. Glue the other half with the cut side down, making a semicircular seat back behind where the driver will sit.
- To make the front grill, glue the miniature chocolate bar (at an angle, see photo) to the front end of the car with royal icing.
- To make the rear spoiler, break off a three-section piece of the large chocolate bar and position it above the Reese’s cup. You’ll need a good dollop of royal icing to make it stick.
- To make the tires, carefully and gently drill a hole through the center of each Oreo tire with a skewer. Work gently so the cookie doesn’t break; your hole should go only through the top cookie and into the filling. (You might need to wiggle the skewer to make the hole big enough for a pretzel stick to fit through.)
- To make the driver:
- Slice off the top third of one black and one red gumdrop berry. Place the black top onto the red berry. (You may need a little icing to make it stick if the candy is not moist.)
- For the eyes pry out two red seeds from the face of the red berry, and replace it with two black seeds from the black berry. (You can make a mouth and nose if you like, but your little driver’s face may get a bit crowded.) Place the driver in the cockpit, using a little icing to hold him in place.
- To attach the wheels, carefully insert the pretzel rods into the sides of the candy bar, then carefully fit an Oreo wheel onto each rod. If the holes are just large enough, the wheels will actually turn!
- “Paint” the auto body by draping strips of sour candy over the hood, starting just in front of the driver and stopping just behind the grill. Trim the strips to fit, and stick them down with a bit of icing.
Fun Variation: Use contrasting strips of sour candy for racing stripes.
Royal Icing Glue
This egg white–based icing is often used to “flood” cookie surfaces for decorating. It’s highly liquid when wet, then dries to a firm, glossy finish. Used sparingly, it makes a great glue that dries hard and strong (well, compared to buttercream), making it the “cement” of candy construction. Makes about 3 cups.
What You’ll Need
1 egg white*
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
*There is a slight risk of salmonella or other foodborne illness when using raw eggs. If you are concerned, you can use pasteurized egg white or 2 teaspoons of powdered egg white mixed with 2 tablespoons water in place of the raw egg white.
What to Do
- With a hand mixer beat the egg white and lemon juice until frothy. With the mixer at medium speed, gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is thick.
- Turn the mixer to high, and beat icing until the mixture is thick and glossy, about 3 minutes. Cover the surface with plastic wrap while waiting to use it.
Note: Royal icing will set to a firm, glossy finish when dry. Extra icing can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Formula One Car
Ingredients
Directions
