Sprinkles

Sprinkles, also known as jimmies, are small, colorful, confectionery pieces used primarily as decorative toppings on various desserts such as ice cream, cupcakes, doughnuts, and cookies. They come in myriad shapes, sizes, and flavors, with the most common being the tiny, rod-shaped variety made of sugar, cornstarch, and edible food coloring. In addition to being beautiful and adding textural contrast to desserts, sprinkles also serve as a fun, engaging element in home baking and cooking. They allow both adults and children to express their creativity and personalize sweet treats to celebrate special occasions or to simply brighten up everyday desserts. Often, where people go wrong with sprinkles is in applying them at the wrong time during the baking or decorating process. For instance, if applied to icing or frosting before it's set, they can bleed color or melt into it. To get the most out of sprinkles, apply them after your icing or frosting has slightly set. Releasing sprinkles from a small height rather than placing them on will keep them from sinking into your icing and maintain their visual impact. A little known tip about sprinkles is that they can also be used in non-dessert recipes such as salad or on top of cream cheese on a bagel for a fun twist.