Thursday, June 2, 2016

A Homespun Year...Sparkling Edible Sugar Glitter...

 I love baking and we love pretty things. So baking, AND decorating that baking with something pretty, is a natural progression round here.
 
I buy little pots of edible 'glitter' at the supermarket and cake decorating store, for around $7 for a tiny little pot about the size of a pot of lip balm. I use it like nobodys business, so I knew there had to be a better way.
 
I consulted Pinterest, the font of all knowledge and discovered several ways of making edible glitter, disco dust, whatever you want to call it, each with it's own good and not so good reviews.
 
I decided to start with the most pinned version which, paraphrased from several different sources, goes like this...
 
To 1/2 cup sugar, add a drop of food colouring and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, crumble and store in an airtight container. Use within six months.
 
I decided to try both raw sugar (which here in Australia is a light brown and coarse, not like brown sugar at all) and caster sugar, which is also known as superfine, but which is not Icing sugar.
 
I was aiming for that pretty shade of pink that I call Ballet Pink as it's the colour of the satin in pointe shoes, and it's a favourite.
 
One drop each of pink and yellow did nothing, although I was using 'natural' food colours, so I added more. One drop of yellow to two drops of pink seemed to yield that shade although a very pale version of it. Eventually, to my half a cup of caster (superfine) sugar, I added 12 drops of rose pink, and 6 of yellow. It's possible that normal food colouring would not have needed as much.
 
NO amount of food colour seemed to make much difference to the raw sugar, although I eventually got a sort of dirty pink.
 
I spread them on u-channels of foil and popped them into the oven, checking them every 2 minutes. Tedious, but the key, and what makes the sugar 'glitter', is that it starts to melt ever so slightly, causing the edges of the sugar crystals to go clear, thus catching the light more effectively, creating the glitter illusion.
 
12 minutes did the trick for the white superfine sugar, but alas, even by increasing the temperature significantly, I could not make the raw sugar look anything like glitter. I'll try again another day. I will not be defeated by glitter!
 
Here's how my ballet pink edible glitter looks on a white fondant rose I made...
 
 Here's how it looked before I baked it in the oven...
 The simple fondant rosettes are just to give you an approximation of the shade of pink...
And below, is how it looked after it was baked.
 
Winner!
 
I'll be trying this again for sure. Not only will it save me heaps of money...this batch alone is worth about $28 and cost about 5c...but I can now make edible glitter in lovely pastel shades and even fluoro ones. I'm only limited by the food colouring I have on hand.
 
And what a gorgeous inexpensive gift for the cake baker in your life. Imagine a rainbow of edible glitter in little jars in a sweet hamper. Adorable!
 
Give it a try. You won't be disappointed!
 
...Mimi...

32 comments:

  1. Ohhh! I will try this as I would happily cover everything in pink glitter. Thank you Mimi!Xxx

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    1. Lol Annabel. How did I know you'd like this one ;-) Mimi xxx

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  2. Thank you Mimi!! You did the hard work for all of us :J in trying it first; and reporting the results~ Appreciate you taking time to let us know! Pretty roses too~ Karen O

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    1. Hi Karen. Yes it's always hazardous trying these things out. You never know what the outcome will be! Thankfully this one was a success :) Mimi xxx

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  3. That is so sparkly and pretty! I love your idea of gifting some to a friend who bakes.

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    1. Chipmunk, just yesterday I bought some little crafting jars with tiny cork stoppers, and I've decanted some into those. They look adorable, and with a home made cake mix and apron, and a hand painted wooden spoon, they'll be a divine gift for an 8-12 year old who likes to bake...or an adult for that matter...lol! Mimi xxx

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  4. HI Mimi,
    The sugar and that rose looks so pretty. I remember my Italian step mother
    coloring rice in pastel shades for her sons (my step brothers) Wedding.
    Pretty simple and easy really but well worth the pay off.........
    You are gonna makes some very delectable looking baked goods with that!
    Have a fun time creating.
    Blessings, Nellie

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    1. Hello dear Nellie...pastel rice sounds divine! I wonder how it's done? I'll Google in a sec...lol! Thanks for stopping by Sweetie. Love, Mimi xxx

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  5. Wonderful Mimi, thank you for sharing this. It wouldn't have occurred to me that I could be making edible glitter at home.

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    1. My pleasure Sherri. It astounds me what we are now able to make at home. Talk about life coming full oircle..lol! Mimi xxx

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  6. Hello Mimi,
    I love Bling, Bling. That looks like fairy tale sugar.
    That would be great for the topping of an cup cake.
    What do you think when I say "Hello Sweetheart"????
    Yes it´s true, I, ve got your parcel. Thank Youuuuuuu my dear.Never had cocolate with marsh mellows inside, that was a new experience.
    Read my Post "Hello Sweetheart - A parcel from Down Under

    Nice day for you, hugs Barbara

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    1. Dear Barb..how exciting that the parcel finally arrived! I'll keep my eye out for the blog post for sure. I hope you enjoyed the Rocky Road Chocolate. It's my favourite! Mimi xxx

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  7. Ha ha Mimi, I knew Annabel would love this idea :-)

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    1. Lol Chel...I think it was a foregone conclusion...Mimi xxx

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  8. Hi Mimi,
    I love the sugar! So pretty:). Popped over from Bluebirds. I read often. Thought I would say Hi. I love your blog. also love your personal story and gives me and my daughter much encouragement.
    Blessings with love Patti

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    1. Dear Patti, how lovely to meet you and a joy to see your comment. I'm thrilled to have given you any encouragement or inspiration. Thankyou. Love, Mimi xxx

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  9. So pretty Mimi. thanks for sharing. I must try it. xo

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    1. Thankyou Thel. It is the prettiest thing. I'm about to do some in wild fluoro colours. That will be interesting! Mimi xxx

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  10. This is excellent - going to show my daughters!

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    1. Mr Home Maker, I hope it makes their day! Mimi :)

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  11. We all need more pink sparkles! Thank you for sharing the recipe at Tuesdays with a Twist! I will definitely be giving this a try! -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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    1. Well you've seen my cursor sparkles, and of course I adore pink, so how could I go past pink sparkles...lol! Thanks Marci. Mimi xxx

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  12. Oh Mimi that is gorgeous! I have seen the edible glitter, but never knew anyone who has made any. You had beautiful results so pretty! Thank you for sharing this.
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. I'm thrilled that such a little thing has inspired everyone Vicky! Thanks for the sweet comment. Mimi xxx

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  13. Oh I love this! So pretty!! :)

    I would love for you to add this to my Recipes and Crafts Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!

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  14. Awesome post! Will definitely try this out. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. Mimi, oh my! Will be making some today to set aside to honor my Daughter's birthday cupcake extravaganza later this month. Just a quiet "hooray!" I do for Nora. She was the glitter-girl, and has certainly been sprinkling it all over heaven these past 7 years...Thankyou, Deedy

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    1. Bless you D. What a sweet way to honour your darling girl. Many hugs. Mimi xxx

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  16. Love your sparkles. Edible glitter is a pretty and fun food accessory. I just saw a beautiful cake last night on tv, made with edible glitter. Thanks so much Mimi for sharing your sparkles at DI&DI.

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I love hearing from you! I always respond to comments, so don't be shy! Mimi xxx