DIY Sprinkles
By Katie LeairdPublished on January 4, 2023
Time
1 hour, plus 8 hours drying time
Yield
Makes about ⅔ cup sprinkles
What Kids Are Saying
“Fun! Tasted good! A little messy.” —John, recipe tester, age 9
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Be sure to use gel food coloring—water-based food coloring will dilute the icing too much and your sprinkles won’t hold their shape. The sprinkles come out best if you stick with only warm colors (such as red, yellow, and orange) OR only cool colors (such as blue, green, and purple). Mixing warm and cool colors results in a brown color. We used the Wilton No. 3 Round Decorating Tip to develop this recipe. Feel free to sub in another flavored extract for the vanilla. Peppermint, orange, lemon, root beer . . . anything goes!
Instructions
- Line 4 rimmed or rimless baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and 4 teaspoons milk. Use rubber spatula to stir, scraping down bowl as needed, until smooth icing forms, 1 to 2 minutes (icing will be very thick). If icing is too thick to stir, add extra milk, ¼ teaspoon at a time, until icing becomes smooth.
- Divide icing evenly among bowls, leaving one-third of icing in original bowl (you should have 3 bowls of icing). Use spatula to stir 2 to 4 drops yellow food coloring into 1 bowl of icing. Clean spatula before mixing next color. Stir 2 to 4 drops pink or red food coloring into second bowl of icing. Keep 1 bowl of icing white.
- Prepare pastry bag with small round pastry tip, and fill pastry bag with white icing following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Fill a Pastry Bag,” below.
- Pipe icing onto parchment-lined baking sheets following photos 1 through 4, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Sprinkles,” below, and re-filling pastry bag with yellow icing, and then pink or red icing.
- Set baking sheets aside in cool, dry place. Let lines of icing dry at room temperature until they are fully hardened, at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Once icing is fully dry, roll up parchment paper and gently break up icing lines into approximately ¼- to ½-inch sprinkles (see photo 5, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Sprinkles,” below).
- Turn parchment paper roll upright over airtight container, perpendicular to counter, and slide sprinkles into container (see photo 6, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Sprinkles,” below). Serve. (Sprinkles can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 1 month.)
Time
1 hour, plus 8 hours drying timeYield
Makes about ⅔ cup sprinklesWhat Kids Are Saying
“Fun! Tasted good! A little messy.” —John, recipe tester, age 9Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Sprinkles may be a classic store-bought dessert topper, but did you know that you can make your own version at home that tastes way better than the ones in the jar? It’s as simple as piping thin strips of icing onto parchment paper–lined baking sheets, letting them dry, and breaking up the hardened icing into tiny sprinkles! You can explain to kids that sprinkles go by different names in different countries—for example, in England they’re called “hundreds and thousands.” (Because they’re so small, hundreds and thousands can fit into a container.) And in Dutch, they are called hagelslag, which translates as “hailstorm,” after their resemblance to the icy precipitation. Ask kids: What would you call sprinkles if you could give them a new name?
Before You Begin
Be sure to use gel food coloring—water-based food coloring will dilute the icing too much and your sprinkles won’t hold their shape. The sprinkles come out best if you stick with only warm colors (such as red, yellow, and orange) OR only cool colors (such as blue, green, and purple). Mixing warm and cool colors results in a brown color. We used the Wilton No. 3 Round Decorating Tip to develop this recipe. Feel free to sub in another flavored extract for the vanilla. Peppermint, orange, lemon, root beer . . . anything goes!
Instructions
- Line 4 rimmed or rimless baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In medium bowl combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and 4 teaspoons milk. Use rubber spatula to stir, scraping down bowl as needed, until smooth icing forms, 1 to 2 minutes (icing will be very thick). If icing is too thick to stir, add extra milk, ¼ teaspoon at a time, until icing becomes smooth.
- Divide icing evenly among bowls, leaving one-third of icing in original bowl (you should have 3 bowls of icing). Use spatula to stir 2 to 4 drops yellow food coloring into 1 bowl of icing. Clean spatula before mixing next color. Stir 2 to 4 drops pink or red food coloring into second bowl of icing. Keep 1 bowl of icing white.
- Prepare pastry bag with small round pastry tip, and fill pastry bag with white icing following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Fill a Pastry Bag,” below.
- Pipe icing onto parchment-lined baking sheets following photos 1 through 4, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Sprinkles,” below, and re-filling pastry bag with yellow icing, and then pink or red icing.
- Set baking sheets aside in cool, dry place. Let lines of icing dry at room temperature until they are fully hardened, at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Once icing is fully dry, roll up parchment paper and gently break up icing lines into approximately ¼- to ½-inch sprinkles (see photo 5, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Sprinkles,” below).
- Turn parchment paper roll upright over airtight container, perpendicular to counter, and slide sprinkles into container (see photo 6, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Sprinkles,” below). Serve. (Sprinkles can be stored at room temperature in airtight container for up to 1 month.)
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