So okay, show me a raise of hands of how many of buy those $4-$10 bottle of dyed sugars in the stores. C’mon… we’ve all done it; some still do it.
Um.. why? Oh wait, I know, perhaps you didn’t know that it’s SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMPLE to make your own from the confines of your very own kitchen, huh? No, really.. it’s ridiculously simple.
I’ve been doing this for God… I couldn’t even tell you how many years. I got sick and tired of spending all that money on teensy bottles of colored sugars when I could make a buttload (yes, that’s a technical baking term) of it at home for a fraction of the cost. It takes only a few minutes to do and all you really need are a few supplies.
After just a few minutes you can take this…
add in some of this..
Mix it up well like this…
Mix it a bit more to remove all the clumps and lumps. Check out the color…
Add some more to darken it and mix well with your hands, breaking up the lumps…
When all is said and done, you’ll end up with this…
Absolutely GORGEOUS huh? And all done in under 5 minutes!
Things you need and that I HIGHLY recommend
PrintDay 21 – Countdown to Christmas Make Your Own Colored Sugars 2012
Ingredients
- White Sanding Sugar r or regular sugar for finer grain
- Gel Food Coloring (I don’t recommend liquid)
- 1/4 teaspoon Cornstarch
- Heavy duty zip top baggie
- Cookie sheet lined with waxed paper
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of sugar into the baggie.
- Add a drop or two of color.
- Remove the air from the baggie and seal shut.
- Begin by kneading in the color to the sugar. If using coarse sparkling sugar be gentle to not break the crystals.
- Break up the clumps as you go.
- Check out the color and if more is needed add another drop; continue until desired color is achieved.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch to the baggie and knead in. Gel paste tends to make sugar sticky. This won’t affect the flavor or the color. It’ll just help dry it out.
- Empty the sugar on to the lined cookie sheet and let air dry for about 30 minutes.
- Store in air tight containers or jars
Will this work with Organic Cane Sugar?
★★★★★
Hi Melanie!
I would think yes however if the cane sugar is more of a tannish hue to start with the colors may not be quite as vibrant as they would if you used standard sanding sugars.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
do you have a recommendations for the gel paste? I have never even thought to do this myself, but it makes scene. Do you also use the paste for frosting.
Hi Shannon!
I love the Gel Paste from AmeriColor. This is a great starter kit: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MSXFWA/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i02
Yep, you can use the paste for frosting (that’s all I use) and if you get the paste plus stuff from them called Flo-Coat, you can even dye white chocolate!
A little goes a long way. You can wear gloves as this stuff does stain (it’ll wash off your hands… in a day or two… LOL).
Let me know how it turns out for you.
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★
you can buy coloring for white chocolate called make n mold. Also to help wash the dye off your hands, use toothpaste.
Cheryl,
I’m not familiar with that stuff. I use Flo-Coat by AmeriColor. It pretty much turns water into oil thus allowing you to use gel pastes in white chocolate without it seizing or separating.
That’s an awesome tip about toothpaste! I didn’t know that! I’ve used rubbing alcohol in the past but that smell is horrific! I’d love it if my hands were minty fresh 🙂
Best Kitchen Wishes!
★★★★★