When COVID-19 was really bad in BC, I didn’t want to travel to the grocery store for unnecessary things. Although it’s arguable that sprinkles are a necessity, I came up with the amazing idea to make my own at home while bored out of my mind during the shutdown.
These are incredibly easy to make and are a fun way to impress your friends. Essentially the process involves making a royal icing, piping it really thin and waiting for it to harden so that you can eventually chop it up. I used a Wilton #4 piping tip but you can use anything to pipe with as long as it’s got a sprinkle-sized diameter. I think a ziplock bag with a tiny hole cut out of one corner would work just as well if you don’t own a piping set.
Although the process to make these sprinkles is simple, it’s a relatively time consuming project and requires patience during the piping phase. I would say to give yourself at least an hour of piping time! Making your own sprinkles takes a bit of dedication but is a perfect project for a (not so) lazy sunday. It’s also extremely rewarding because they last for months and you can show them off on all sorts of baked goods. If you check out my donut recipe, you’ll see that I decorated my pink donuts with them! You can check it out here.
Store bought sprinkles can sometimes leave a weird aftertaste but these sprinkles taste like frosting (because they basically are). Although the taste is very subtle when used as a garnish, they compliment basically any baked good and you can customize the flavour to your liking. I use vanilla extract because it goes well with most other flavours, but I’m sure strawberry or lemon flavouring would also taste amazing!
The sprinkles keep well for quite some time. Depending on the conditions (temperature, humidity, etc), they will keep for several months. Just make sure that you store them in an airtight container such as a mason jar, and that you keep them in a cool, dry place. I made my first batch in May and four months later they are still good to go.
If you do decide to make your own sprinkles, make sure to post a photo and tag @theseatofonespants on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
Homemade Sprinkles
Equipment
- Piping equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups icing sugar
- 5 tbsp water
- 4 tbsp corn syrup light
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- food colouring to personal preference
Instructions
Make the Sprinkles
- Sift the icing sugar into a medium mixing bowl. Add the water, corn syrup and vanilla extract.
- Separate the mixture into however many colours you want to make. I made eight colours so I separated my mixture into eight separate bowls. Add your desired food colouring to each bowl.
Form the Sprinkles
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, tin foil or plastic wrap. Pour one colour of the sprinkles mixture into a piping bag fitted with a wilton #4 tip or anything similar (such as a ziploc bag with a hole cut from one corner).
- Pipe the mixture onto the cookie sheet in thin lines until all the mixture is used up. Repeat with the other colours.
- After all of your colours have been piped into lines, set aside your cookie sheets in a cool, dry place to rest for 5 hours or overnight.
- Once your sprinkles have finished resting, use a sharp knife to chop up the piped lines into your desired sprinkles length.
- Store your sprinkles in an airtight container for several months and use them as a garnish or an ingredient in funfetti recipes!
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