Making your own panoramic sugar Easter eggs is not hard, just a little time-consuming. But making them with friends or family will create memories that will last even longer than the beautiful eggs themselves.
First decide on the size you want your eggs to be. Purchase plastic Easter eggs that open lengthwise in the size you desire. They are a little harder to find than the typical plastic eggs.
Gather your ingredients:
Granulated sugar
Meringue powder (find this with the cake decorating supplies at craft or discount stores)
Confectioner's sugar
Cream of tartar (in the spice section of your grocer)
Coconut (optional - use for grass in your panoramic scene)
Food color (paste colors are recommended - find them with the cake decorating supplies)
Make sure you have these supplies on hand:
Waxed paper
Spoons, mixing and teaspoons
Icing decorating bags
Icing decorating tips
Spatulas
Mixer with wire whip
After determining how many eggs you would like to have at the end of your project, plan to make at least double that number. Sugar eggs are delicate and not all of them will make it to the end of your project.
Make the Shells
Mix granulated sugar with a tiny amount of water - just enough so that the sugar will hold together when squeezed into a ball.
Fill one of the halves of a plastic Easter egg with the damp sugar mixture. Turn it out onto waxed paper. If the sugar holds together, proceed. If not, try it again. If you can't get the sugar to hold after several attempts, add a tiny bit of water.
Once Easter eggs or sugar Easter eggs you successfully turn the sugar out onto the waxed paper, carefully cut off approximately 1 1/2 inches of the narrow end. You may need to cut more off if you are using very large eggs or less if you are using small eggs. This will form the opening that you will be able to look through.
Cut a semi-circle of waxed paper that is approximately 1/2" smaller in diameter than the opening. Place this against the sugar and prop something against it to keep the waxed paper in place. A stack of pennies should work well except with very large eggs.
You will need to wait several hours for the outside crust of the eggs to harden. If you attempt to pick them up too soon, your eggs will crumble (but you made extras, so this is not a problem). If you wait too long, your egg will be too solid and you will not be able to scoop out the soft sugar inside.
The amount of time it will take varies depending on how much water the sugar initially held, and the temperature, airflow, and humidity in the room. But think in terms of hours and not minutes.
Once you are able to hold the eggs without breaking them, scoop out the soft sugar with a teaspoon, leaving a crust approximately 3/8" to 1/2" thick, perhaps a little thicker for very large eggs.