Choose anise sprinkles if you want the anise flavour and traditional decoration; they don’t have a dark chocolate flavour. If you’re baking with children and also want a dark chocolate topping for the adults, look for dark chocolate sprinkles or flakes and compare the cocoa percentage, ingredients and allergens on the packaging. Use the sprinkles as a finishing touch, not as the main feature of the treat.
You want to decorate cupcakes, cakes or biscuits with the distinctive anise flavour and crunchy sugar coating of traditional anise sprinkles. According to PLUS, De Ruijter anise sprinkles are made from aniseed with a sugar coating; crushed anise sprinkles are also used to decorate baked goods.
You’re baking with children, but would like a chocolate accent for the adults instead of anise. Dark chocolate sprinkles and flakes are different products from anise sprinkles, so compare the cocoa percentage of the variety you’re considering.
You want to use the sprinkles as a small decoration and check the ingredients, nutritional information and allergens on the packet beforehand. This is especially important if a child has a food allergy.
First decide whether you want anise or chocolate flavour. Then choose a form that suits your bake and read the label on that particular variety before using it.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Anise flavour and decoration | Check whether you’re buying whole anise sprinkles or finer, crushed anise sprinkles, and which shape you want on your bake. | If I want recognisable anise sprinkles on cupcakes or biscuits, anise matters more than cocoa. For around 33% of consumers, that traditional anise-sprinkle experience would be the top priority. |
| Dark chocolate flavour | For chocolate sprinkles or flakes, compare the cocoa percentage on the packet you’ve chosen; the word ‘dark’ on its own doesn’t tell you the exact percentage. | For adults, I’d prefer a chocolate accent to the anise flavour of traditional sprinkles. Around 42% of consumers would put the dark chocolate flavour first. |
| Ingredients and portion size | Read the ingredients, allergens and sugars per 100 g, and decide how much to use as a finishing touch. | When children are eating too, I want to know what’s going on their bake and how much they’re having. This would be the most important consideration for around 25% of consumers. |
The anise sprinkles described by PLUS are made from aniseed with a sugar coating. They have a different flavour from dark chocolate sprinkles or flakes.
Before buying, decide whether you want the anise flavour of traditional sprinkles or a chocolate topping. Don’t assume that chocolate sprinkles are the same as anise sprinkles.
A relative claim within one product range doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage of another packet. For example, Albert Heijn compares De Ruijter Special intensely dark flakes with the dark flakes from the same brand.
Check the cocoa percentage, ingredients and allergens on the packaging of the variety you’ve chosen.
A decoration can easily turn into a snack without you noticing. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends offering sweets and biscuits to toddlers and pre-school children weekly rather than daily.
Set out a small amount of sprinkles for each child to decorate with, and keep the rest of the packet separate.
Ingredients can vary between products and varieties. For example, PLUS lists wheat starch in De Ruijter anise sprinkles; that doesn’t tell you what’s in every other anise or chocolate sprinkle.
Check the label on the packet you’re actually using every time you buy, especially if someone has a food allergy.
De Ruijter offers anise sprinkles and crushed anise sprinkles for anise-flavoured decoration, as well as dark chocolate sprinkles for a different flavour.
Jumbo offers dark chocolate sprinkles as an alternative when chocolate flavour matters more than the traditional anise-sprinkle shape.
ALDI offers KIEKEBOE chocolate sprinkles in a dark variety for anyone who wants chocolate rather than anise.
Lidl lists Mister CHOC Dark Chocolate Sprinkles in a 600 g pack.
These dark chocolate sprinkles are a good choice if you want a chocolate topping on cupcakes instead of anise sprinkles. Check the label if you’re looking for a particularly high cocoa percentage.
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An option for anyone who wants to finish cupcakes with dark chocolate sprinkles rather than anise sprinkles.
390 g pack. Check the current label for the cocoa percentage and allergens if these are important to your choice.
No. The De Ruijter anise sprinkles described by PLUS are sugar-coated aniseed; dark chocolate sprinkles are a different kind of topping. Choose anise sprinkles for anise flavour and the traditional look, or chocolate sprinkles if you want a chocolate accent.
Set out small, separate bowls of the toppings you’ve chosen and let the children decorate their bakes. This keeps the anise sprinkles and dark chocolate topping separate, and lets you decide in advance how much to use.
Yes. Check the ingredients list for the exact variety you’re using. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be listed on labels; don’t assume one product has the same ingredients as another topping or an earlier packet.
No. The word ‘dark’ alone doesn’t tell you the exact cocoa percentage. For De Ruijter Special intensely dark flakes, Albert Heijn gives a relative comparison with the dark flakes from the same brand; for your choice, the percentage on the specific product’s packaging is what matters.
