Decorating sugar is often used to color Christmas cookies.
Decorative sugar is a product that is used primarily on baked goods, such as cakes and cupcakes, to add sweetness to the dish and also to add color. It is quite common for this type of colored sugar to be sprinkled on cakes already covered with icing. There are dozens of colors of decorating sugar that can be used to match or contrast with the color of the icing that covers baked goods. Depending on the skill of the pastry chef, decorating sugar can also be used to create patterns on top of cakes and cupcakes.
Decorating sugar should be sprinkled over the cookies while they are still hot or added to a layer of icing.
The cases where decorative sugar is not used along with the icing are usually cookies. Sugar cookies, for example, can be covered in decorating sugar to create a splash of color on top of the cookies or even to give them a shape. For example, sugar cookies made for the holidays can be covered with green colored sugar arranged in the shape of a Christmas tree. Sugar cookies made for Valentine’s Day can be covered in red or pink sugar, or a mixture of the two, arranged in a heart shape.
Decorative sugar can be used to decorate cakes.
In order for the decorating sugar to adhere to the cookies, it is best to put it on top of the cookies while they are out of the oven and still hot. Unlike ice cream cakes and cupcakes, cookies don’t have a sticky substance on top to hold the sugar in place. Therefore, sugar should be added when the cookies are still warm enough for the crystals to embed slightly on top.
Decorating sugar can be applied to cupcakes.
Sugar for decoration can be bought in most supermarkets, but it is also very easy to make at home. Simply fill a clean plastic bag with your desired amount of sugar and add a few drops of food coloring. For custom colors, a few different food colors can be added.
Knead the plastic bag with the sugar inside until the sugar has absorbed the food coloring and is a uniform color. To make this process as easy as possible, be sure to add the drops of food coloring to different areas of the plastic bag so the color doesn’t pool in one area. Homemade decorating sugar can be stored as pure sugar.