natural color powder exploration +
HOMEMADE SPRINKLES
SPRINKLE SEASON by SHERI
Please enjoy this series by Sheri Silver. Food photography on this page is ©Sheri Silver.
make a basic royal icing for
HOMEMADE SPRINKLES
RECIPE + TIPS FROM SHERI
Making Homemade Sprinkles
You only need a few simple ingredients to make your own beautiful homemade sprinkles! By tinting the icing base with natural food coloring powders you can achieve soft, elegant shades (and a hint of flavor too)!
- 2 cups - confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tbsp - meringue powder
- 3-4 tbsp - water
- Assorted food coloring powders
Start by adding 1/2 teaspoon of your food coloring and stir well to combine. Before proceeding with each round of additional powder you'll have two factors to consider:
- the flavor that the food coloring is imparting to the icing
- the depth of color you want
The best part about using these colors in royal icing is that there is far less room for error. There are no chemical reactions, no heat/baking, and no structural changes in the ingredients. The 2 most important “keys for success” are: 1) getting the
right consistency (not too loose to lose its shape, not too stiff that it can’t be easily piped), and 2) letting the sprinkles
thoroughly dry overnight.
a sweet treat recipe using:
by Sheri Silver
tackling homemade
Ombre Sprinkles
The stunning array of hues found in food coloring powders makes them a perfect fit for sprinkles. They are soft and sophisticated and a refreshing change from the artificial hues found in most commercial food colors.
I wanted to see what would happen if I divided the base sprinkle recipe and added increasingly more food coloring to each – to achieve an ombre effect when completed.
For each batch I made the base sprinkle recipe, found here. I divided the batch into four bowls, about 1/2 cup of icing in each.
Below you'll see step-by-step how the process went for each of the food colorings I used:
- cranberry juice powder - for pink ombre sprinkles
- ebony carrot powder - for rose-red ombre sprinkles
- butterfly pea flower powder - for blue ombre sprinkles
- matcha powder - for green ombre sprinkles
I used an Ateco 6 plain tip – this tip resulted in slightly larger-than-typical sprinkles. I personally loved the way they came out but you can use a smaller tip for a more traditional look.
Use the following formulas as a loose guideline – there are so many variables that can change the final outcome, so be prepared for a bit of trial and error. Humidity, the amount of moisture/sugar in your royal icing, and the composition of the natural food coloring itself can all affect the color and consistency of your sprinkles.
While some of the food colors have a mild or even undetectable flavor, others – such as mango, cranberry and matcha – are more distinctive. Taste as you go and be sure that the flavor will complement how you are using your sprinkles.
#1 — results for
PINK OMBRE SPRINKLES
w/ CRANBERRY JUICE POWDER
Pink Ombre Homemade Sprinkles
The sprinkles had a bright, tart flavor that would pair nicely with almost any sweet treat.
- For the lightest color: add ½ tsp of cranberry powder
- For the 2nd color: add 1 ½ tsp of cranberry powder
- For the 3rd color: add 5 tsp of cranberry powder*
- For the 4th color: add 3 tbsp of cranberry powder*
*NOTE: Both these color mixes failed to make it to the final steps!
The first two batches mixed up and piped out beautifully. The third felt stiffer but I was still able to pipe it out. The fourth batch was very stiff and I needed to add more water to thin it out and be able to pipe it.
After 24 hours the first two colors dried perfectly. The third color looked dry but when I picked up a line it didn’t “snap” it bent. And the fourth color never dried and had a soft, chewy texture.
Next time I would start with 1/4 teaspoon (or even less) for the lightest shade and use no more than 1 tablespoon per 1/2 cup of icing.
#2 — results for
ROSE-RED OMBRE SPRINKLES
w/ EBONY CARROT POWDER
Rose-Red Ombre Homemade Sprinkles
All four colors dried perfectly, with the “snap” of a classic sprinkle. The flavor was very mild, almost undetectable.
- For the lightest color: add ½ tsp of ebony carrot powder
- For the 2nd color: add 1 tsp of ebony carrot powder
- For the 3rd color: add 1 ½ tsp of ebony carrot powder
- For the 4th color: add 2 tsp of ebony carrot powder
Here I was able to achieve more intense colors using much less food coloring. The shade differences were not as great as I would have liked so going forward, I would start with ¼ teaspoon (or less) for the first color and perhaps as much as 1 tablespoon for the fourth.
#3 — results for
BLUE OMBRE SPRINKLES
w/ BUTTERFLY PEA FLOWER POWDER
Blue Ombre Homemade Sprinkles
All four colors dried perfectly and there was just the slightest “floral” flavor noticeable only in the deepest shade.
- For the lightest color: add ⅛ tsp of butterfly pea flower powder
- For the 2nd color: add ¼ tsp of butterfly pea flower powder
- For the 3rd color: add ½ tsp of butterfly pea flower powder
- For the 4th color: add 1 ½ tsp of butterfly pea flower powder
By this round I knew that I wanted to start the lightest shade with much less food coloring. This was definitely the right move, giving me a subtle yet distinct range across all four batches. Even better, I was able to use less color for the darkest shade, keeping the consistency of the royal icing intact.
#4 — results for
GREEN OMBRE SPRINKLES
w/ MATCHA POWDER
Green Ombre Homemade Sprinkles
I barely tinted the first batch and only needed 1 teaspoon for the final hue. This might have been my favorite of all of them.
- For the lightest color: add 1/16 tsp of matcha powder
- For the 2nd color: add ⅛ tsp of matcha powder
- For the 3rd color: add ½ tsp of matcha powder
- For the 4th color: add 1 tsp of matcha powder
I was hesitant to use a food coloring that was so pale to begin with, but I wanted to see for myself if I could get the kind of ombre range I was looking for. You can see from the above measurements how I barely tinted the first batch and only needed 1 teaspoon for the final hue. This might have been my favorite of all of them.
The only “downside” is that the matcha flavor was definitely noticeable in all 4 shades, so if you are not a fan – or if matcha would not pair well with what you’re putting the sprinkles on/in – you might want to reconsider.
making homemade
CHOCOLATE SPRINKLES
w/ CACAO POWDER
Chocolate Homemade Sprinkles
The idea of creating all natural chocolate sprinkles – with a dark brown color and rich chocolate-y flavor – was irresistible.
Easier said than done, as it turns out.
I started out with the same base recipe I’ve been using in this series, carefully adding more and more cocoa powder until it was clear that the royal icing would not pipe out easily with any more.
The mixture piped out beautifully, though I was skeptical about achieving that “chocolate-y flavor”, based on the light color of the icing. I let the mixture dry overnight, cut up the sprinkles and gave them a taste.
Chocolate-y? Yes. Rich chocolate-y? Not really. But as they were already finished I went ahead with my plan to bake them in a simple vanilla cookie recipe. And while the cookies were lovely and delicious, there was not a hint of chocolate flavor. And the sprinkles were barely visible.
And then I remembered that I actually made chocolate sprinkles many years ago, and dug up that recipe to compare to the one I’ve used here. Interestingly, the recipe contained no meringue powder and much more cocoa powder. I’m not a pastry scientist but I am guessing that the elimination of the meringue powder allowed for an increase in cocoa powder, while still achieving that same “snap” and shape of traditional sprinkles.
Voila! The base piped out perfectly, dried in 24 hours, and while a bit softer than the colored sprinkles, snapped just fine.
Even better? I achieved the color I was looking for and, yes, that rich chocolate-y flavor.
For fun I cut them a little larger, which is a fun way to decorate cakes and larger baked goods.
a sweet treat recipe using:
by Sheri Silver
