Vanilla Sugar

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: None | Total Time: N/A | Serves: (Yields 2 Cups)

Vanilla beans are one of those “splurge” ingredients for me. The beans have increased significantly in price over the years, so I don’t keep them as a “pantry staple,” but when the need arises where vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract just won’t do, I’ll purchase a few of these aromatic and divine spices.

When you purchase, I strongly suggest you don’t buy them in the glass jars off the grocery store shelf. Who knows how long they’ve been sitting there, and you’re not really confident that they are not brittle. You want your bean pods to be pliable; that makes it much easier to slice and scrape the lovely seeds out with the edge of a knife. They should also have a bit of a sheen to them. The “plumper” beans you can get, the better.

Let’s say you buy the vanilla beans just for making this awesome sugar. Here’s how you get the tiny seeds out: You will need a sharp knife with a sharp tip and a cutting board. Bon Appetite says, “Use a paring knife to make a slit down the pod’s length, leaving the bottom intact. Open the sides like shutters to expose the seedy insides. Pressing gently, drag the flat side of the knife down the pod, gathering the seeds as you go.” Simple enough.

I scrape the vanilla bean seeds for my Lemon-Cinnamon Simple Syrup, then place the bean pods into my container of sugar. The remnant seeds are scattered throughout the sugar causing the most amazing scent. Vanilla flavor is dispersed throughout the sugar that makes it ideal for adding into cakes or making homemade caramel instead of using regular white granulated sugar. The vanilla sugar can also be added to tea, coffee, or other drinks you’d like some sweetened vanilla tones.

This is just simply wonderful.