I have discovered the coolest new dessert garnish—bubble sugar! Well, actually it is not really sugar, instead it is made from isomalt, which is a natural sugar alternative (and, not to mention, has less calories than sugar).

Isomalt is a common ingredient used by professional pastry chefs who enjoy making sculptures with sugar, but I prefer to use it as a quick way to embellish a dessert! It is incredibly easy to work with, isn’t too terribly expensive, and will totally impress your friends.

Here’s the how-to:

Lay one silpat on a baking sheet. Spread about 1/4 cup of isomalt crystals on the silpat as thinly and evenly as possible. Lay another silpat on top. Set another baking sheet on top of that (for weight). Bake at 350 degrees until the crystals melt, and go from being opaque to clear (about 45 minutes). Then set the tray out at room temp until is it cool. Slowly peel back the top silpat and break off shards of the bubble sugar in your desired size and shape. And, if you really want to be adventurous, you can twist the isomalt into curls while it is still warm (not too hot though, or you’ll burn your fingers).

Filed Under: Cool Stuff