Sprinkles

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Sprinkles are tiny candies you sprinkle on desserts to add color and texture. They’re used on cupcakes, cookies, donuts, ice cream, and more. They come in many colors and shapes and are designed to stick to frosting or other sticky surfaces.

Common names by region
- Nonpareils: tiny round pieces (often called hundreds and thousands in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa).
- Jimmies: chocolate sprinkles in parts of the US (especially New England and nearby areas).
- Vermicelli: long, thin rod-shaped sprinkles (often chocolate).
- Hagelslag: Dutch chocolate sprinkles used on bread.
- Meises/meses: what Indonesians call Hagelslag.
- Strössel: Swedish word for sprinkles.
- Shots: a term used in some parts of the US (Connecticut and others) for sprinkles.

Main types
- Nonpareils (hundreds and thousands): tiny balls or rods of candy.
- Confetti and sugar shapes (sequins): flat or shaped decorations, often with flavors.
- Sanding sugar and crystal sugar: large, sparkling sugar crystals; sanding sugar is clear or colored, crystal sugar is clear and larger.
- Pearl sugar: large, opaque white sugar pearls.
- Dragées: metallic-coated sugar candies (silver, gold, etc.). Sometimes pearl-like.
- Sugar strands: long, thin sugar sticks (often called “jimmies” in some places when used on ice cream).
- Hagelslag: chocolate sprinkles in the Netherlands, also used on bread.

Hagelslag and friends around the world
- In the Netherlands and Belgium, hagelslag is commonly eaten on buttered bread.
- Indonesia uses meses or meises (Dutch-influenced chocolate sprinkles) on breakfasts.
- Belgium sometimes calls similar sprinkles muizenstrontjes (mouse droppings) because of their look.
- Fairy bread (Australia and New Zealand) is buttered white bread topped with nonpareils for kids’ parties.
- Confetti cake and Funfetti refer to sprinkles baked into cake batter or mixed into frosting.

History in brief
- Nonpareils go back to at least the 1700s and were used for decoration.
- Hagelslag was invented in 1913 by a Dutch company and later popularized by others.
- The many names and types reflect regional tastes and traditions around the world.

Tips for use
- Sprinkles stick best to frosting, icing, or other sticky surfaces.
- They’re decorative and add texture, but they’re mainly for visual appeal and fun flavor moments.

In short, sprinkles are a global family of colorful decorations for desserts, with many local names and styles, from tiny nonpareils to chocolate hagelslag and playful sugar shapes.