The other day I mentioned making vanilla sugar, and the person I was talking to looked at me like I’d grown a third head.
“Really?” They asked. “Isn’t that difficult to do?”
I laughed, and then realized they were, in fact, serious. New flash, folks: flavored sugars are probably the easiest thing in the world to make. The process involves putting something dry in your sugar container, and leaving it there for a while. That’s it. No, really.
Flavored sugars are all around fun things: add them to a cake for a hint of something special, or stir a spoonful into your coffee. They can be sprinkled on or into anything, and make great gifts when presented in decorative jars.
A few tips: you want to keep your sugar in a sealed container in a cool, dark place, lest your aromatics do funny things like grow green fuzz. That’s definitely not good eats, so let’s avoid growing a science experiment, ok?
Also, the longer you leave aromatic ingredients in your sugar, the stronger the taste will become. It’s kind of a no brainer, but it never hurts to mention it.
Enjoy!
How to Make Vanilla Sugar
- 1 pound of granulated white sugar
- 2 vanilla beans, cut in half and sliced down the middle
- Pour sugar into a sealable glass jar, and poke sliced vanilla beans down into the sugar. Set in a cool, dark place until pigs fly or hell freezes over, whichever you prefer. Shake occasionally.
- It will probably take about a month for your sugar to start taking on a good vanilla taste, but I’d recommend leaving it for at least three months. I, for one, just leave a vanilla bean in my sugar sack indefinitely.
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My parents always kept a vanilla bean in the sugar jar when I was a kid. It was just, you know, what you did. No need to add vanilla to whipped cream!
Exactly!
After I scrape the vanilla beans for a recipe, I toss them in sugar afterwards too. Almost as intense of an effect, and cheaper!
Good call! I hadn’t thought of that… great use for bereft pods.
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