Sanding sugar is one of those specialty baking products you find yourself buying once and then forgetting about in the back of your pantry, until after you've bought the exact same color again, of course! Ever wondered if you could just color your own, as you need it? Here's how!
Sanding sugar, that sparkly, crunchy topping to sugar cookies and fancy baked goods is nothing but coarsely ground sugar. A little more substantial than regular granulated sugar, sanding sugar holds up better through baking. It's easy enough to purchase already colored sugar when you're only working with one color, but when you're interested in a variety of colors the cost of buying each one adds up.
Making your own is simple. The first step is to find the coarse ground granulated sugar with the texture you want. You'll find sanding sugar along with sparkling sugar, which is super coarse ground, and edible glitter, which has more of a flaky consistency. Choose the variety you like, purchase a pound of the white stuff, and start coloring. See links below for online sugar and food coloring resources.
Put a half cup of sugar in a plastic storage bag. Add a drop of gel or a pinch of powdered food coloring and shake until well combined. Experts swear liquid food coloring works as well as long as you use only a drop at a time and combine the mixture before the liquid dissolves any of the sugar. Once your sugar is the color you like, use or store it indefinitely.
Find sanding sugar online:
• Whtie sanding sugar, $3.39 for a one pound bag at Amazon
• Sparkling white sugar, $5.95 for a one pound bag at King Arthur Flour
Find food coloring online:
• Soft gel paste food coloring, $14.95 for a set of 8 colors at King Arthur Flour
• Powdered food coloring, $11.95 for a set of 7 colors at Kitchen Krafts
Related: Baking Tip: Make Your Own Brown Sugar
(Image: Stephanie Barlow)
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i do this all the time because i'm allergic to food coloring and need to use natural dyes. my best tip is to test the color with a small amount of sugar in a little bowl.... sometimes the colors are nothing like what you'd expect them to be!
I just go to the bulk store where I can buy any amount and any colour of sprinkles. Cheap and easy.
Great tips! Does anyone know where to purchase natural food coloring? They would go perfectly with our cookie cutters in the shape of yoga poses. Healthy and natural all the way!
kitchen yogi, i've bought the natural dyes at whole foods. king arthur flour used to have them, too, but they don't always.... they come and go. good luck!