Vanilla Sugar
Vanilla Sugar
Equipment
- Mason Jar
- Knife
- Scale or Measuring Cup
Ingredients
- 200 grams Sugar Granulated or Powered
- 1 Vanilla Pod
Instructions
- Measure out the sugar and put it in a mason jar or airtight container.
- Slice the vanilla pod down the center.
- With back of knife scrape the seeds into an airtight container with the sugar.
- Add the outside of the pod and bury in sugar.
- Shake and then seal tightly.
- Store in a dark location for at least 14 days before using. Periodicaly give it a shake, as the sugar will clump up.
Notes
Flavoring your sugar
Though not typical in an American kitchen, vanilla sugar is a mainstay in Europe. If you live in the northern Europe area, sourcing vanilla sugar is as easy as heading to your nearest supermarket. For the rest of us, we can either pay exhortation shipping prices or take the much easier route of making it ourselves.
Here’s why you should be making it yourself:
- It’s easy and doesn’t require much effort.
- If you’re already using vanilla pod for something else, you can recycle it and use it here.
- It’s cheap to make.
- It feels good to do it yourself.
Here’s why you should be using vanilla sugar:
- It tastes great.
- It adds a new element of taste to baked goods.
- It will level up your morning coffee
- It will elevate anything that gets a dusting of powered sugar, like pancakes.
Choosing the right ingredients
If you’re planning to use your vanilla sugar in baked goods, like cookies, you should infuse granulated sugar. Granulated sugar is also what you should be infusing if you’re planning to use it in your morning coffee.
If you want to dust a baked good, like pancakes, you should be infusing confectioners sugar (sometimes called powered sugar). If you plan to do this, you will need a sifter. There is no way around this.
The reason is because the sugar will start to bind up. This is due to exposure to air. The vanilla pod will also intrude some moister to the sugar. All of that is no good for the aesthetics of powered sugar.
Confectioners sugar is also very sweet. Clumps don’t taste good.
Do yourself a favor and get a sifter. An adequate one cost around $10 and they don’t take up much space.
Using Your Vanilla Sugar
Not sure what to use vanilla sugar on? Try using it in these cookies.