Nonpareils are small sugar pellets used to decorate baked goods and also refer to a type of chocolate candy covered in white sugar beads. They were first manufactured in the 1920s by the Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate & Cocoa Company. Nonpareils are commonly used to decorate cakes, cookies, and candies. They are similar to other decorative candies such as jimmies, sprinkles, and drageés. Nonpareil translates to “without equal” in French and also refers to pickled capers from Provence and almonds from Northern California.
Nonpareil is a term that refers to a small decorative condiment, made of sugar pellets or pellets, that is often sprinkled on baked goods. The term is also used to describe a particular type of chocolate candy that is shaped like a disc or button and then covered with white sugar beads or colored balls. For most reminiscent of candy from childhood, it’s most likely made of dark chocolate and topped with tiny white sugar pearls.
While nonpareils were likely made through painstaking processes in years past, an American company began manufacturing something similar to a nonpareil in the early 1920s. The Blumenthal Brothers Chocolate & Cocoa Company of Philadelphia created a candy identified as Bob White, a sizable disk of chocolate sprinkled with balls of white sugar. Later the company reduced the size of the candies and called them Sno-Caps. The same company was the original manufacturer of Goobers, chocolate-covered peanuts. Now similar to chocolate chips with sugar sprinkles, Sno-Caps are made by the Nestle Company.
Nonpareils are commonly used to dress up many sweet foods, including cakes, cookies, candies, and muffins. Often a staple in decorating a gingerbread house, candy works quite well for roof shingles. To make traditional unprepared candies, most recipes call for just a few ingredients: bittersweet chocolate, some vegetable shortening, and white or colored sugar beads for decoration. The tricky part about making candy is making sure the chocolate is at exactly the correct temperature so it can be spooned or piped into button-shaped circles onto a baking sheet or other surface to cool.
In the world of desserts, there are many types of decorative candies. Jimmies, sprinkles, and hundreds and thousands all refer to tiny sugar decorations that are added to various baked items to bring color, embellishment, and texture. The chocolate version of another decorative confection, a drageé, is similar in size to a nonpareil but with a metallic coating of silver, gold, pearl, copper, or bronze. Nonpareils are widely available to order online; there are even colorful versions for the holidays.
Nonpareil translates from French to “without equal”. Those who like the confection vary in their opinions as to why it is called that. Some say no two are alike; others say it doesn’t get any better. In terms of cuisine and food, nonpareil also refers to the small pickled capers from the Provence region of France and the almonds from Northern California that are considered good luck.
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