What Is Pearl Sugar?

Swedish pearl sugar is made by compressing sugar crystals to form larger, round particles that won’t dissolve in baked goods. (Another larger type of Belgian pearl sugar used almost exclusively in Belgian Liège waffles melts into the dough.) That quality makes it perfect as a finishing touch for many baked goods. When we mail-ordered a bag and used the crystals to top sugar cookies and sweet breads, we found that the “pearls” maintained their crunch and shape during baking in both applications.