Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Tip: Making Vanilla Sugar

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Tip: Making Vanilla Sugar

[Today's featured finalist in our search for new writers on the site is Kate, who hails from Chicago. Welcome to Kate!]

For years I buried leftover vanilla pods in the sugar jar, creating a lightly perfumed vanilla sugar. Incorporating the vanilla directly into the sugar, though, creates a more intense flavor and leaves the sugar looking like a jar of French vanilla bean ice cream.

In a pretty jar, it’s also a great gift to have on hand for the hostess of an impromptu summer gathering. It flavors tea beautifully, makes a fantastic topping for sugar cookies, and is quick and inexpensive to make.

Bake the vanilla bean pod, with beans intact, at 150 degrees for 20 minutes, until they’re dry and brittle. Allow them to cool and then pulse them in a coffee grinder until fine. Push the remains through a sieve to remove any large pieces and stir the powder into a bowl of white sugar. One tablespoon of vanilla to one pound of white sugar is a good place to start, but this can vary wildly by tastes and intentions.

Comments (17)

This is a great and simple idea! I like Kate.

posted by Asli on 2006-08-23 11:14:29

This is fantastic! I tried it and am using it in my coffee as we speak:) Gives the perfect little perk to the day.

posted by Alex on 2006-08-23 12:40:22

This sound like a great idea. Have any more tips???

posted by Melisa on 2006-08-23 12:53:34

Pure genious. I love this idea! Can't wait to try it!

posted by Jenny on 2006-08-23 12:55:19

What a fantastic idea! I am now imagining it in my Lady Grey tea.

posted by Sarah on 2006-08-23 13:03:48

I love vanilla... I bet this would be really good on oatmeal, too.

posted by Mack on 2006-08-23 16:36:17

A friend made me some vanilla sugar and I've been sprinkling it on my free-form stonefruit galettes all summer before baking. Yum.

posted by Vanessa on 2006-08-23 17:02:58

I am so excited about this vanilla bean thing! I love it and so does my boyfriend! Thank you, Kate!

posted by Alison on 2006-08-23 17:11:39

This is a great idea, and one I haven't thought of before, I'm going to go home and give it a shot tonight!

posted by Amy on 2006-08-23 17:15:21

I did the "bury the pod" method as well and found it a *bit* too subtle. Can't wait to try this! (I'm imagining it being incorporated into a homemade chai mix to give out at Christmastime...)

posted by J'aime on 2006-08-23 17:32:50

This is my first visit to "the kitchen" and I am already utterly obsessed. What wonderul new and fresh ideas. As a stay-at-home mom I enjoy spending my spare time creating funky new baking recipes. This vanilla sugar sounds like the perfect topper for my fantastic wheat pancakes. Thanks!

posted by Olga on 2006-08-23 17:37:01

Great, Kate! What a wonderful idea! Thank you so much!

posted by Natalie on 2006-08-23 20:30:28

What an outstanding idea. I historically have mixed a small bit, I mean a really little smiggion, a teeny tiny little bit, of cinnamon in with my sugar. The vanilla might just make it perfect.

posted by Jim on 2006-08-23 21:07:22

i vote for Kate 'cause she's from Chicago!

posted by bbt on 2006-08-24 15:05:09

This is a great idea AND well written.

posted by LilybethDC on 2006-08-25 13:53:05

Am a vanilla bean grower and curer. Am looking for someone to help me market this product. I produce about 20 metric tonnes/yrly of this stuff.This are cure/processed. If any interested let me know. Thanks

posted by abdul on 2006-11-07 15:48:35

I tried this - it took 45 mintues for the bean to even start being brittle - then when I ground it, it smelled like a green olive. What did I do wrong?

posted by Elise on 2007-03-04 17:14:43