Ingredients:
- Parchment Paper
Preparation:
1. If your parchment paper is already in the shape of a triangle, skip to step 3. Otherwise, fold it into a long, lopsided triangle. Exact measurements don't matter, but aim for something with a base of approximately 17", a long arm of 15", and a short arm of 7".
2. Use scissors or a very sharp knife to cut out the triangle, and repeat until you have as many triangles as you need.
3. Position the triangle so that the shortest leg is straight with the left side of your table, forming a right angle on the left. Hold your right thumb in the middle of the other leg and, with your left hand, curl the tip of the shortest leg around so that it meets the base of the right angle, forming a cone shape.
4. Pinch the curled-around portion and the right angle together with your left hand so that the cone is secure, and remove your right hand. With your right hand, grasp the end of the other long, skinny leg, and wrap it around the cone once, and then a second time. This double wrapping isn't traditional, but I think it makes for a sturdier paper cone.
5. With your right hand, pull the end of the triangle up toward your left hand, so that all of the triangle corners are gathered together. You might need to push or pull the cone a bit to get them to line up and to ensure that the tip of your cone does not have a big opening. You can do this by wiggling the outer layer--the long leg of the triangle--around, adjusting the angle in order to shrink the hole at the bottom of the cone. You want the hole at the tip of the cone to be so small as to be invisible.
6. Once you're happy with the shape and tip of your cone, fold the long tale down inside the cone. This will hold it together. For extra security, you can make two parallel tears in the top and fold the resulting flap down, which will prevent the paper from shifting at all.
7. To use your paper cone, fill it with frosting or melted chocolate, leaving at least and inch and a half of space at the top. If you overfill your paper cone, you won't be able to close it properly and it will leak.
8. Place the cone with the seam side down and the tip pointing away from you. Press the top of the cone together and fold it over about a half-inch. Fold it several more times, or however much the empty space in your cone allows. Take the ends of your folds and bring them inward to secure your cone.
9. Using scissors, snip the tip off your cone. Start small, because while you can always make a small hole larger, it's impossible to make a large hole smaller! Now you can use your paper cone for writing, decorating, and piping. Enjoy!
