I had the brilliant idea to make cookies for my son's teachers this week. What a disaster! First, I had to have new cutters shipped b/c mine had rusted. Baked up a batch of NFSC last nite. Went to make RI and don't have enough merinque powder (or cookie sticks)! :'( My plan was to head to Michael's or JoAnne's on the way to pick up friends at the airport, but by the time I got all the way there, they were closed!

Soooo..... I'd rather not use raw egg whites, is there a powdered alternative readily available in the grocery store?

Sure is It's called All Whites http://www.betterneggs.com/ It's not any cheaper than meringue powder but they have it at the grocery store. The ones here have it in the same part of the store as gravy mix.

I have used chop sticks in place of other sticks in a pinch! I cut them with wire cutters and give the cut end a quick sanding.

Or maybe you can use wooden skewers trimmed to size. You can find them at any grocery store.

FYI... You can always try and save your old cutters using a couple of the food-safe methods on this website

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf000500.tip.html

Also, rusty utensils really won't harm anybody for the little amount of rest on them.

Thanks so much!! You guys are the best! I knew I could count on my CC buddies!
aswartzw - thanks for the link - the sea air rusts EVERYTHING! I'll check it out!

I used the AllWhites last nite. It was a little thick, so I thinned with a few drops of water. They looked good, but while drying, some areas "sank" and the dark colors bled. Not sure what caused it.