These Cute Christmas Candies Are Easy Enough to Make at Home.
December is the time for “giving back” and all that, but more importantly, it’s the only time of year when you have every right to enjoy sweets with mad abandon. Cookies, pies, cakes, cheesecakes, eggnog, cider, fudge and chocolate of all varieties are all on the menu during the holidays. One of the cutest chocolates I’ve come across is nonpareil. A piece of chocolate covered in colorful sprinkles is just the thing to send as a sweet Christmas greeting or put in a bowl on the coffee table for lucky passersby. Here’s how you can make them at home.
What is nonpareil?
Nonpareil translates to “incomparable” or “nothing like it.” (Perhaps not a parallel? Anything that helps you remember it, of course.) As holiday treats go, that tiny blob of chocolate with dozens of crunchy round sprinkles stuck to the bottom is truly something special. Pop one in your mouth and you’ll be immediately introduced to a textural phenomenon and a tiny rush of sugar. Bittersweet chocolate melts in your mouth, becomes velvety, and crumbs crackle between your molars. Nonpareils are small, colorful and delicious, making you want to make more of them.
How to make nonpareils at home?
It seems like something only a machine could do, but it’s incredibly easy to replicate in your home kitchen. All you need is some semisweet or dark chocolate to melt and a bottle of sprinkles. I love the rainbow range, but you can buy all white or a festive combination of red, white and green.
Melt a quarter cup of chocolate chips in the microwave. Be sure to stir the chocolate every ten seconds or so, especially as it begins to melt. Pour the chocolate into a small piping bag or ziplock bag. Seal or tie the bag you are using.
Depending on how many nonpareils you are making, pour the sprinkles into a pan, upside down lid, or rimmed baking sheet. I used an upside down cookie jar lid. You need to make the layer of sprinkles deep enough so that the container underneath is not visible. You should be able to lightly press the sprinkle with your finger and leave a slight indentation.
Cut the corner of the chocolate bag so that the opening is only a couple of millimeters wide. You can always cut it further, but you can’t go back. Start small so you don’t spill chocolate all over the place. Twist the top of the bag to apply some pressure and, holding the bag perpendicular to the surface of the sprinkles, press small disks directly onto the sheet of sprinkles. Squeeze out as many candies as you like. You can do a second or third round once this batch has cooled. Place the entire sheet or plate of nonpareils in the refrigerator to set, about 20 minutes, depending on how large or small they are.
Once the chocolate has cooled, you can pick it up from the sprinkles field. The melted chocolate sticks to the sprinkles when you add the candies, and when the chocolate cools, the sprinkles stick. While small circles are the simplest and most common shape, you can create any shape you want. I made little lollipops and really liked them. You can also make Christmas trees, angels or letters. Just remember to turn the letter over as you write it if you’re going to read the sprinkles.
Place them in cookie cutters you made for your neighbors or place them in a jar on the counter so you can snack on them whenever you want. In my opinion, January’s cold reminder of responsibility will come no matter what, so there’s no need to hold yourself back. Eat chocolate.