Homemade Chocolate Sprinkles

• Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.


• Place 1 1/2 cups of the sifted confectioner’s sugar, along with the cacao powder, in a sifter set over a large mixing bowl. Sift into the bowl, discarding any bits that remain in the strainer. Add the water and vanilla extract and beat on low till the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the speed to high and beat till shiny and smooth. If the icing settles into the bowl quickly when the beaters are lifted, begin adding the reserved sifted confectioner’s sugar a bit at a time, beating well after each addition. Keep adding the confectioner’s sugar till the icing holds its shape but is not too stiff to pipe.


• Fit a disposable pastry bag with a small plain metal tip (I used a Wilton 4 here) and fill with your icing. You can also use a heavy duty Ziploc bag with a small opening snipped in the corner. Practice a few lines on a sheet of wax paper before you begin, to make sure that the icing is not too stiff to pipe or too loose to hold its shape. You can return the icing to your bowl and add either more water or confectioner’s sugar to adjust.


• Pipe long lines onto your prepared baking sheets, spacing them as close together as possible. Don’t worry about breaks or squiggles, your sprinkles will look great in the end! Let dry completely overnight.


• You’ll know the sprinkles are ready to cut if you can easily remove one of the lines from the baking sheet. There are two ways to cut your sprinkles. The first is to use a large knife or bench scraper to chop the lines. This method can cause some of the sprinkles to go flying off the sheet but gives you the most control if you want sprinkles of a uniform length. The other is to roll up the parchment paper with the sprinkles still attached, and gently crush with your hands to break them up.

expiry
Sprinkles can be stored, at room temperature in an airtight container, for a year.

I used a Wilton 4 tip, which created more “typical” looking sprinkles, but you can use any size you like. Jumbo chocolate sprinkles? Yes, please!

As always, use the above formula 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.