DIY Colored Sugar Pearls – homemade baking decorations

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DIY Colored Sugar Pearls are little edible pearls that you can use for decorating cakes and cupcakes. They add a unique twist to your baking creations.

 

If you are fond of baking like I am, you have probably seen those pretty little edible pearls for cakes and cupcakes. They are a type of cake decorating sprinkles that I am smitten with. Now that I have started using them on my baked goods, I can’t stop using them – I love baking and decorating with Sugar Pearls. They are shiny and beautiful, and they make any dessert look very elegant. It can get expensive, however, to buy a bunch of bottles when you need a variety of colors for a particular baking project. What is the solution? Have some fun with DIY baking decorating projects and make your own sugar pearls in custom colors!

Custom sugar pearl colors

So we have determined that those beautiful round white “pearls” that are used on baked goods, can brighten up any dessert. Sometimes I feel a bit guilty when I eat a cupcake that is so beautifully adorned with sugar pearls.  I manage to get over the guilt when I know it is time for me to go home and get started with some banking. They are actually available in several colors, however it can get costly to buy bottles of all of the colors you might want.

Get these amazing and affordable containers to store your food and sugar pearls in!

 

A plethora of choices is wonderful, but I also don’t need excessive amounts of anything hanging around that may or may not get used again for a long time. Taking the time to create homemade baking decorations, is not only practical, but there is an extra sense of pride that goes along with it {for me at least}.

 

You’ll need some sugar pears to make these DIY colored sugar pearls.

 

 

Can you color sugar pearls with food coloring?

Why, yes you can! I wanted to make some Spring cookies a few weeks ago, and I knew just what colors I wanted to use for accents. Of course love  pastel colors, but I wanted them to “pop” just a bit more than normal. I wondered if I could make my own customized colored sugar balls for decorating cupcakes and baked goods. To be limited to just a few colors is no fun, right? 

 

 

Supplies you’ll need to make homemade custom sugar pearl colors:

• White sugar pearls
• Sandwich or snack size plastic baggies
• Food coloring
• Paper Towels – one for each color, folded into quarters
• Small containers to store separate colored pearls
• Little foil “boats” or other flat surfaces for the pearls to dry on
• Plastic spoons

Mixing custom colors with food coloring

For each of the regular colors you will be using {Red, Blue, Yellow, Green} put 2 – 3 drops of desired food coloring into one of the plastic baggies (if you want a softer, more pastel look add a 1/2 tsp or so of water to the baggie with the food coloring and squish bag until blended). Repeat this with all of your colors, each in its own bag. If you want a darker color, use enough food coloring to cover all of the pearls, and do not add water, and do second bath in the same bag if necessary.

Get creative with some pretty colors for your DIY sugar pearls.

 

 

If you need to mix colors to make new colors, go ahead and get those mixed ahead of time, as sometimes it takes some trial and error before getting it just right. Test the color for accuracy by dipping a small piece of paper towel in the mixture.

 

Get deals on paper towels  for your DIY sugar pearls!

 

 

Here’s a little hint: If you goof up and don’t like the way a particular color turned out, hang onto it and just put it aside. When you are trying again to make a color, you might consider adding a drop or two of the “messed up color”. Sometimes it can make a difference, or make a really unique color! 

Preparing your work surface

The first thing you’ll want to do is have everything ready, as this process moves pretty quickly.

• Spread newspaper on your work surface.
• Choose what colors you want to use
• Line up the paper towel squares, have a couple extra damp paper towels handy for oddball little drips
  and messes {or your fingers}
•  

One color at a time

After all of your colors are ready and lined up in baggies, it’s time to start the fun!

You will create one colored sugar pearl batch at a time. To start your first batch, you can either pour the desired amount of white pearls directly into one of the baggies with coloring, or for more control, you can add the desired amount of white sugar pearls to a small prep bowl (or even in the lid of the sugar pearls bottle).

 

After pouring the sugar pearls into the food coloring, quickly swish the pearls around in the bag to make sure they all have color on them, and immediately remove them with the plastic spoon. Place them on one of the paper towel squares {it’s okay if there is some liquid on the spoon with them – see photos below}. This is what happens when you are trying to get the pearls out of the food coloring quickly.

Sandwich bags on sale NOW!

Gently roll them around to the dry parts of the paper towel, to get the extra liquid off. Transfer the pearls to one of the aluminum boats, or other flat container with an edge that you have prepared, for them to dry.

 

 

It is important that you don’t leave them in the food coloring for more than just a second or two if you want to retain the size, shine and overall appearance of classic sugar pearls.

 

Even more colors for decorating cupcakes and cookies

If you want to have an even wider variety of colors, and possibly darker colors, there is a way to do that!  There is a tradeoff though. The pearls will be a little smaller. The longer you leave the sugar pearls in the food coloring, the more the outer coating dissolves, and the shine wears away. They are still perfectly round, and they really are pretty. Although you won’t see the same sheen,  you will have a large variety of different colored little sugar balls that you can use to decorate cupcakes, cookies and other baked goods.

 

It is fun to be creative. I love homemade baking decorations, and I love to have a huge assortment of colorful sprinkles for decorating cupcakes for any occasion – they would look so pretty on these no-bake Easter Madeleines!. These little colorful balls for baking (also known as “sugar pearls”) are shiny, and just so classy looking.

 

 

I wanted to make some cookies for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations, I figured I might as well make some 4th of July baking decorations at the same time.  Now I am all set for awhile!

 

Now that you can make your own custom colors for DIY sugar pearls tutorial, you can have every color under the sun. The sky is the limit on how you can decorate birthday cakes, cupcakes, cookies, especially when you purchase unique food coloring colors!