Dragees, Pearls & Nonpareils

Dragées

Pronounced as ‘Drazh-AY,’ dragées are perfect for adding a touch of fancy, elegance, and beauty in your confections. Made from hardened sugar, they are coated in a tough outer shell which has a metallic finish such as silver or gold. While they can look extremely stunning, another common characteristic of dragées is their hardness, so they’re not easy to bite or chew. Often dragees are labeled as “for decorative use only” due to the ingredient list containing silver. You'll have to decide for yourself whether you’d like to eat them or not. Here's an article from Huffington Post to aid in your decision making.

Pearls

Similar to dragées, sugar pearls are another option for a fancier topping, but do not contain silver. These sprinkles have an opalescent sheen which adds a certain flair to your decorated treats.

Nonpareils

These sprinkles are very tiny balls of colors and are made up of sugar and starch, which gives them a delightful taste. Named after the old French for “without equal,” they have been around for a long time and date back to the 18th century! They are also known as ‘Hundreds and Thousands.’ Nonpareils look fantastic on the outside of a cake, but should not be used in/baked in recipes because their colors tend to bleed quite a bit.