• 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.

Now that you know what you are getting into...check out the full recipe.

What could be more fun than topping your favorite treats with customized sprinkles to match the occasion? We’re talking hearts for Valentine’s Day, stars for July 4th, and pumpkins for Halloween.

And it couldn’t be any easier. All you need is a stencil and a batch of royal icing, tinted in your desired shade.

Start by placing your stencil on a sheet of parchment paper. Dollop the tinted royal icing on top and spread using a small angled spatula. Use your free hand to keep the stencil in place while spreading. Once the stencil is covered, use the side of your angled spatula to scrape off the excess icing. You’ll want to simultaneously press down on the icing as you scrape to get the neatest shapes. Carefully lift off the stencil and allow the sprinkles to dry completely.

I was thrilled with how these turned out! I used four food coloring powders for these sprinkles - cranberry, mango, matcha and butterfly pea flower. I wanted to try my hand at making ombre sprinkles and used the butterfly pea flower to experiment. As with the traditional ombre sprinkles I divided the base into 4 bowls and tinted each batch in increasingly deeper shades. I then spread each shade onto half the stencil and let dry. This was just a small batch but they turned out beautifully.

Consistency - Since you’re spreading, not piping the royal icing, you do not have to be as particular when checking consistency. As long as the icing feels spreadable you will get great results.

Stencil Size - My stencils are small, which worked perfectly for this exploration as I was experimenting with small batches of multiple shapes and colors. When making a large batch I recommend buying multiple stencils in the same shape to make quick work of your sprinkles.

Stencil Thickness - Thicker stencils create sturdier and more sharply defined sprinkles than thin ones. In this case the heart stencil was thin and created more fragile sprinkles. I’d probably use that stencil for sifting designs using cocoa powder or confectioner’s sugar on baked goods.

If you are looking for sprinkles that are easy, foolproof, unique and dramatic, look no further than confetti sprinkles!

And it couldn’t be any easier. All you need is a stencil and a batch of royal icing, tinted in your desired shade.

You’ll need a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and a small angled spatula.

To create the sprinkles use your spatula to swipe the tinted icing all over your parchment paper. Repeat this with each color. I wanted the colors to overlap in spots but you can keep the swipes separated if you prefer. The swatches should be thin but not translucent. Allow to dry completely and break into confetti-shaped pieces of any size and shape you like.

Consistency - Like the shaped sprinkles, the consistency of the royal icing is much more forgiving than piped sprinkles. If you’re creating multiple shades just be sure to keep a damp paper towel over the reserved batches to prevent drying.

Color Inspiration - I reserved half of the royal icing batches I made for the shaped sprinkles and used those colors but the sky’s the limit! This would be a great use for ombre sprinkles.