I love puzzles!!! Tetris® is one of the classic puzzle games that I used to play way back on the NES. Of course, there have been numerous ports, versions, and knockoffs of the game. But, today with all of the quick to play mobile games out there, it’s still one that I find so much pleasure in playing. There is something so satisfying in the simplicity of moving blocks around and trying make lines of them disappear – satisfying and anxiety-inducing!
Well, I’ve come up with a recipe that is super simple and should induce no anxiety at all. When I was a kid I used to eat a ton of Necco® Candy Buttons. These little bits of royal icing are stuck on sheets of paper and you just peel them off and pop them into your mouth! You usually get a bit of the paper too, but that’s part of their charm! So, to bring these two childhood memories together in a new way I’ve created Tetris® Candy Buttons.
To make the Candy Buttons you will need
- 2 egg whites
- 3 ½ c. powdered sugar
- ¼ tsp almond extract (or flavoring of your choice)
- About 3 Tbls Water
- Food Coloring (I used Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, and Pink)
- Plastic Sandwich Bags
- Black Paper (construction paper, card stock, or copy paper all work fine)
Let me show you how it’s done!
- Into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment add the egg whites, sugar, extract, and 1 Tbls of water and mix on low to medium speed for 10 minutes.
- Then add enough water to bring the icing to a consistency that is runny but not so thin that the buttons won’t hold their shape. If you run a knife through the icing it should come back together and smooth out in about 8-10 seconds.
- Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula to get any lumps of powdered sugar and mix it in thoroughly.
- Divide the icing into 7 different bowls and tint them with food coloring. OPTIONAL: I highly recommend flavoring each color with a different extract or flavoring. It will make eating them even more fun!
- Transfer the colored icing into the plastic sandwich bags, push the excess air out and seal. (It’s a good idea to let the icing stand for a minute or two before doing this to let some of the air bubbles come to the top).
- Cut a small opening in the corner of each bag with a pair of scissors.
- Cut the black paper so that you have strips that are 4” wide by 8” long or any size you like, just make sure the width is twice the height.
- Pipe candy dots in the shape of the Tetris block on the black paper.
- Pipe a final block falling from the top just like in the game.
And there you go – Tetris® Candy Buttons!
These would be a perfect party favor for birthday or with your next gaming group!
