DIY Sprinkles
As a custom cake artist, you can only imagine how many sprinkles I owned! I mean like seriously it was a crazy amount of sprinkles. So much so in fact there were moments I thought I had certain color combinations and I didn't! Every now and then I'd have to create a custom sprinkle blend.
What's needed to make sprinkles?
The ingredient list is pretty light compared to most things I've had to DIY in my custom cake career. One a half cups of sifted powdered sugar, water, corn syrup, and flavoring! Pick your favorite gel food colors and you're ready to make some magic.
What equipment will I need for the sprinkles?
A sifter, large bowl, hand or stand mixer. small bowls, plastic spoons and gel food colors are needed. I use KitchenAid KHM512IC 5-Speed Ultra Power Hand Mixer, Ice Blue for projects like this, but I also use mine a lot. If you are looking for a light weight but durable hand mixer that you won't be using daily, I've also used Dash SmartStore™ Deluxe Compact Electric Hand Mixer + Whisk and Milkshake Attachment for Whipping, Mixing Cookies, Brownies, Cakes, Dough, Batters, Meringues & More, 3 Speed, 150-Watt – Aqua. Notice this Aqua/Tiffany blue theme I have going on lol.
Do I have to use gel colors?
YES! Using a liquid-based color will change the consistency of the sugar paste we will create and the colors will fade more than the gel colors. I would highly recommend any of the following:
ChefMaster 13436 Craft Supplies, Multi
Food Coloring AmeriColor Student Kit, 12 .75 Ounce Bottles Soft Gel Paste Colors
Do they really need 12 hours to dry?
Yes! You know how like when you rush food and remove fried chicken from the grease before it's done? It looks done but you bite it and it's not? Yea, let the sprinkles rest at least 12 hours. Trust me! Once they've fully dried, break them apart into the desired lengths.
Are you looking for classes for your budding chef?
DIY Sprinkles
Equipment
- Bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
- Rubber spatula
- Small Bowls
- Plastic spoons
- Sifter
- Gel Food Coloring
- Piping Bags
- Piping Tip 3, 4, or 5, optional
- Parchment lined baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp corn syrup
- 1 tsp clear vanilla flavoring
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- Place a sifter over a bowl and sift 1 cup of powdered sugar, discarding any lumps.
- Add in water, flavoring, and corn syrup.
- Mix until all of the sugar has been saturated with liquid.
- Sift in the 1/2 powdered sugar
- Split the mix into bowls. Add 1-2 drops of gel coloring (you want the color to be darker than you'd like as the color will fade during the drying process).
- Add sugar paste to piping bags, fitted with a tip (or omit the tip and just cut a small hole at the tip).
- Pipe long lines of the sugar paste on parchment-covered baking sheets.
- Make a special note to pipe above the parchment and allow the sugar mixture to fall onto the parchment vs dragging it across.
- Allow sugar paste to set in a cool dry place for a minimum of 12 hours
- Break the lines and enjoy your custom sprinkles!
