Ice Lanterns -- how to make and decorate them: The Easiest Ice Lantern

The easiest ice lantern

Making ice lanterns doesn't have to be difficult. The very simplest, most fool-proof ice lantern mold comes with its own decorations -- and filled with tasty biscotti.

This ice luminary comes from a plastic tub
for 25 of Nonni's Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

The design on the lower edge of the package makes a decorative rim for the top of the ice lantern. A slight indentation in the base becomes the unfrozen or lightly-frozen opening at the top of the luminary, allowing the unfrozen water in the core to be poured out easily.

After peeling off the label from the bulk
package for Nonni's chocolate hazelnut
biscotti (to eliminate differences in speed of
freezing), fill it with water to just below the
ridge around the top. If it is filled deeper,
the ice lantern doesn't come out easily.

Nonni's biscotti in the plastic tub.

Why is this the best ice lantern mold for a beginner?

It is small, making a 7 x 7 x 7 inch luminary, which means that it can be used in many home freezers. Because of the small size, it doesn't require as long to freeze as some others. It unmolds very easily, as long as the water level is kept below the ridge near the top. The mold doesn't crack if it is allowed to freeze too long. The four flat faces provide a convenient surface for decoration, but the ornamental ridge makes this luminary quite decorative even without further effort. The mold stacks compactly and doesn't take up much space during the rest of the year.

The candle in this luminary is sitting directly on
the ice. It is less likely to melt through if the heat
is spread out by putting it on a metal lid from a can
or on some other heat-diffusing surface.

The four flat faces of the Nonni's biscotti ice lantern provide
a convenient surface for adding decorations if desired.
Here, ice stars are applied using a little cold water to
weld them in place on the luminary's sides.