Vanilla Sugar

Sugar that has been flavoured with vanilla. Very popular in German cooking especially. Nice sprinkled over fresh fruit such as strawberries, etc.

Take vanilla beans or leftover pods, place in a jar that can be sealed tightly, and cover with sugar. It doesn't really matter how much sugar you use; probably a cup or two of sugar (8 to 16 oz / 225 to 450g) will make enough to keep you going for a while, given that recipes will usually only call for a teaspoon or two of vanilla sugar. Seal tightly, set in a dark place, and let stand for about 3 weeks. When you use the sugar, use just the sugar, not the beans. You can leave the beans in the jar, to keep the flavour thing happening, or you can start a new jar. The beans will give off a vanilla scent for about two years under these conditions.

For those of us who are less organized, you can make Vanilla Sugar even faster by whizzing 4 cups of sugar with 1 vanilla bean (not pod) in a blender, then let sit in a sealed jar for 2 hours. The only problem with this is that it does make a lot, but the proportion is needed for the intensity of even that one bean.

And for those who are downright desperate, whiz in a blender 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract with 1 cups (8 oz / 225g) of sugar.

You can also buy Vanilla Sugar in packets.

Vanilla Sugar is nice as a sprinkling sugar over fruits and desserts. For this reason, it is generally made with caster (superfine) sugar. For sprinkling on top of stuff, regular white sugar. In a recipe, see extract and sugar substitute below.1 package = 1 1/2 tsp of homemade Vanilla Sugar = 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 1 tsp white sugar

2 tbsp Vanilla Sugar = 1 bean, scraped

Vanilla Sugar doesn't need refrigeration. Keep in a tightly sealed jar. Vanilla flavour will fade within a year, but you can recharge it by tossing in another inch of vanilla pod.

Also called:

Lavender Sugar, Rosemary Sugar, Vanilla

Vanilla Bean Paste, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Pod, Vanilla Sugar, Vanilla

Extracts, Flavourings, Screw Pine