Why buy Christmas sprinkles from the store when you can make your own at home? It is actually incredibly easy. With this recipe, you can have festive red, green and white sprinkles on hand to use in a myriad of different holiday desserts.
You can also experiment with different colors and flavors, giving them your own personal touch. Try decorating the container with ribbons and turn them into a fun gift idea for family and friends!
They make great toppings for Christmas cookies, cupcakes, or any other form of Christmas baking. They could even be used as toppings for drinks like hot chocolate or cocktails.
Ingredients & Tools
- powdered sugar
- cornstarch
- light corn syrup - you can substitute with agave nectar if preferred
- vanilla extract (this is optional - or you can pick another holiday flavor like peppermint or cinnamon)
- red and green food coloring - liquid and gel color both work
- wax paper
- piping bags
- #4 Wilton tip - you can also go smaller (with a #3 tip) depending on how large you want your sprinkles to be. Keep in mind that with a smaller tip, the mixture will be harder to pipe but it is doable.
These sprinkles are gluten free and vegan and take only 20 minutes of prep time to make. They are one hundred percent edible and can be used in any way that you would normally use store-bought sprinkles.
Tweaks
You can experiment with adding varying amounts of dye to create unique shades of sprinkles. Of course, you may also opt to make additional batches with some other colors that you associate with the holiday, such as blue and white.
You can experiment with flavors as much as you can colors. Instead of vanilla extract, you may want to try peppermint, cinnamon or other holiday flavors.
How to Make Them
- Lay 3 long pieces of wax paper out on the counter. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cornstarch, water, syrup and extract together until smooth. Divide the mix into three separate bowls.
- Add red food coloring to one bowl and combine until desired color is reached. Repeat with the green food coloring in the second bowl and leave the 3rd bowl as is. The mixture will be thick but you will able to pipe it.
- Transfer the mixture into 3 piping bags with #4 Wilton tips (you will have three colors: red, green and white). If you only have one tip, you will have to do one color at a time.
- Using your piping bag, draw long, thin, horizontal lines across the wax paper. You can also make some small dots or other shapes if desired. Do this with each color on each piece of wax paper. Let sit for at least 12 hours or overnight so they can dry and harden.
- Once dried, peel off the dots and/or other shapes you made. Use a knife to cut the horizontal lines into small sprinkles. Transfer to a small, airtight container.
- Use these candy sprinkles for your Christmas baking, desserts and drinks!
Sprinkle Making Tips
Try to keep the piping tip about ½" above the wax paper when piping. The tip shouldn't touch the wax paper.
It may seem hard to get momentum at first when piping this thick mixture through the tip, but once the bag warms in your hand a little, it gets easier!
After the lines have dried, you may find it easier to cut the sheets of wax paper into 2 to 3 pieces with scissors before transferring to a cutting board. Then you can proceed with cutting the lines into sprinkles.
One thing to keep in mind when adding your food coloring is that the color may fade slightly as the sprinkles dry, so be sure to add extra coloring if you want to maintain a deep and vibrant color.
If you do not have piping bags, cutting the tip of a sandwich bag will work in a pinch; just be extra careful not to make the hole too large.
Adjust your speed as you pipe out the sprinkles; you want your lines to be relatively thin and even. Keep it moving for straighter lines, but do not worry too much about making them perfect, since you will be chopping them into small pieces anyway and imperfection equals character.
Storage
These sprinkles will keep for several weeks in your pantry, so you could easily prepare a batch early in the season and keep using them for holiday festivities as needed. A small glass jar works well but you can also use sandwich bags or small plastic containers.
How did your homemade Christmas sprinkles turn out? Let me know in the comments and please share the recipe!
📋Recipe
Homemade Christmas Sprinkles
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup or agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract - optional - or you can pick another holiday flavor like peppermint or cinnamon
- red and green food coloring - can use gel or liquid
Instructions
- Lay 3 long pieces of wax paper out on the counter. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, cornstarch, water, syrup and extract together until smooth. Divide the mix into three separate bowls.
- Add red food coloring to one bowl and combine until desired color is reached. Repeat with the green food coloring in the second bowl and leave the 3rd bowl as is. The mixture will be thick but you will able to pipe it.
- Transfer the mixture into 3 piping bags with #4 Wilton tips (you will have three colors: red, green and white). If you only have one tip, you will have to do one color at a time.
- Using your piping bag, draw long, thin, horizontal lines across the wax paper. You can also make some small dots or other shapes if desired. Do this with each color on each piece of wax paper. Let sit for at least 12 hours or overnight so they can dry and harden.
- Once dried, peel off the dots and/or other shapes you made. Use a knife to cut the horizontal lines into small sprinkles. Transfer to a small, airtight container.
- Use these candy sprinkles for your Christmas baking, desserts and drinks!
Equipment
Notes
- This recipe yields about 1 cup sprinkles.
- A smaller tip like #3 will give you finer sprinkles, but it will be harder to pipe.
- Try to keep the piping tip about ½" above the wax paper when piping. The tip shouldn't touch the wax paper. Keep it moving for straighter lines.
- If you do not have piping bags, cutting the tip of a sandwich bag will work in a pinch; just be extra careful not to make the hole too large.
- To making cutting easier once the lines have dried, I like to cut the wax paper sheets into 2 to 3 pieces with scissors and then transfer to a cutting board.
- These sprinkles will keep for several weeks in your pantry, so you could easily prepare a batch early in the season and keep using them for holiday festivities as needed. A small glass jar works well but you can also use sandwich bags or small plastic containers.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
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