The Best Holiday Sprinkles & Sugars for Christmas Baking
The fall and winter holidays come one right after the other, making it a fun and exciting (but exhausting) time of the year. And because the festive season features so many baked goods—cookies, cakes, breads, and more—it can be a hectic time for professional bakers and home bakers alike. The (metaphorical) cherry on top of all of your winter baked goods? Christmas sprinkles and other varieties of seasonal sprinkles. They make cakes, cookies, and more look extra festive and fancy for all of the holiday parties and dinners you’ll be hosting or attending this year and give even simple treats a bit of holiday cheer.
There are tons of different options when it comes to Christmas sprinkles, so we’re here to break down the best kinds of seasonal sprinkles, why we love them, and how to use them on anything from a fresh batch of sugar cookies to a gorgeous holiday cake and beyond. Here’s what you need to know.
Here’s Why Christmas Sprinkles are a Holiday Baking Essential
Holiday sprinkles are more than just decoration, they also add crunch, texture, and a pop of color (not to mention plenty of fun) to holiday desserts. Brownies, gingerbread men, cakes and cupcakes, pies and tarts, sugar cookies and other holiday cookies, all of these treats can benefit from seasonal sprinkles, finishing sugars, and more. Plus, they can give home bakers a little confidence boost if you don’t have the most experience with piping and other decorating techniques.
Here are some of our favorite Christmas sprinkles to use this year:
1. Red & Green Sprinkles
Sprinkles (in red and green) are a classic choice for Christmas sprinkles (try using the rod-shaped sprinkles you're probably used to seeing at an ice cream parlor or go for larger round sprinkles for some drama!). They add a touch of sweet nostalgia to cookies and cupcakes and can even be mixed into sugar cookie dough itself for a festive twist, depending on the size of sprinkle you choose. While the rod-shaped version is a softer sprinkle, they’re usually brightly colored, meaning they’ll pop against icing or in your light cake batter or cookie dough. You can use solid sprinkles or you can mix up a custom Christmas blend by adding white and metallic (food-safe, of course) sprinkles in various shapes and sizes.
2. Snowflake Sprinkles
Looking for more of a winter vibe than an overtly nostalgic Christmas feel? Snowflake sprinkles—which can be mixed with other white and silver sprinkles for an elegant finish—are the perfect way to add a wintry feel to your holiday baked goods (or even a sweet cup of hot cocoa).
3. Metallic Sprinkles
There’s just something festive about metallics. Gold and silver sprinkles will add a luxe shine to any of your holiday treats. These sprinkles and other decorations are ideal for more formal events, but you can pull these chic sprinkles out for use on anything you’d like.
4. Holiday-Themed Nonpareils
Nonpareils are another type of classic Christmas sprinkles that add color and texture to any of your favorite holiday baked goods ranging from cookies to cake pops and beyond. They’re crunchier than jimmies and can be made into a mix featuring red, green, and white sprinkles, perfect for sugar cookies and seasonal cupcakes.
If you apply nonpareils to the edges of your unbaked Christmas cookies, they’ll come out of the oven with a fun, festive border.
5. Christmas Blends
Not sure which style of Christmas sprinkles are for you? Many brands sell pre-mixed blends of seasonal sprinkles that include a bunch of different shapes, sizes, and colors of sprinkles. There are usually some filler sprinklers like jimmies or nonpareils mixed with some fancier shapes like snowflakes, Christmas trees, and candy canes. For an easy way to add a bit of fun to your holiday cakes, look for a mix of sprinkles or create your own.
6. Finishing Sugars and Edible Glitter
The holiday season calls for sparkle. For cookies and cakes that shimmer and shine, try adding coarse sugar sprinkles and edible glitter to your decorating repertoire. These Christmas sprinkles really dial up the drama by reflecting the light and creating a sparkly effect. You can get the sugar crystals in a wide variety of colors, from the traditional shades of reds, greens, and white to bright color cane sugar and everything in between, perfect for whatever feeling you’re going for. Glitter too comes in a variety of colors, making it the perfect accompaniment for all kinds of decorations.
The Best Ways to Use Christmas Sprinkles to Decorate Seasonal Desserts
Sprinkles aren’t difficult to use, of course—they make decorating easier for people who don’t feel super confident in their decorating skills—but there are definitely a few things to know to help your desserts come out looking perfect:
Make sure the frosting or icing is wet or the dough is unbaked: You want to make sure the sprinkles stick to your baked goods and stay in place to go with your design. Make sure you add your sprinkles before the frosting, icing, or confectioner's glaze has dried all the way or the cookie dough is baked so that the sprinkles don’t just roll right off.
Use a mix of sprinkles: You can, of course, just use one type of sprinkle when you’re decorating, but for an elevated look, try mixing and matching different sprinkles to create more dimension in your design and give your finished product more texture.
If you're looking for sprinkles that don't contain artificial dyes, look for brands that use fruit and vegetable juice to give their sprinkles their color.
To up your home baking game this holiday season, try adding more Christmas sprinkles to your decorating process. They're a great way to make decorating a bit easier this year. Regardless of the finished look you’re going for, there are sprinkles, glitter, or even edible gold foil that will help give your treats some seasonal flair. Happy baking!
