Pearl sugar

Pearl sugar (also nib sugar and hail sugar) is a product of refined white sugar that resembles bagel salt. The sugar is very coarse, hard, opaque white, and does not melt at temperatures typically used for baking. The product usually is made by crushing blocks of white sugar, then sifting to obtain fragments of a given diameter. The sugar may also be made in an extrusion process.

It is known as pärlsocker (pearl sugar) in Sweden, and as perlesukker in other Scandinavian countries, except for in Finland, where it is called "helmisokeri" (also pearl sugar) or more commonly "raesokeri" (hail sugar).

In Scandinavia, pärlsocker is used extensively to decorate various pastries and confections, cookies, especially on top of plain "bulle" (swe) or "pulla" (fin) cakes, muffins and buns, such as kanelbullar (cinnamon buns) and chokladbollar.