This Vanilla Bean Sugar has both vanilla bean and vanilla extract infused into the sugar, making the best smelling and best-tasting sugar ever!

Once you open whatever container you end up storing it in, the vanilla aroma hits you and life is great.

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How to Infuse Sugar

Infusing sugar is very simple and fast. Simply cut the vanilla pods in half and scrap the vanilla beans out. Add them to the sugar and vanilla extract in a food processor and pulse until the beans are equally distributed.

Spread the sugar out on a baking sheet to let it dry out. Once it feels dry to the touch transfer it to an airtight container. You can add the emptied out vanilla pod to the container as well.

Vanilla Sugar Uses

You can use infused sugar like regular sugar. However, because of how expensive vanilla beans are, I tend to use it for specialty and gourmet recipes.

They also make really good DIY gifts for friends and family.

Baking

Use Vanilla Bean Sugar in your favorite baked goods. I first made it because I wanted to make these Triple Vanilla Scones with Cinnamon Sugar Filling from the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of Bake From Scratch.

But the recipe called for Heilala Pure Vanilla Bean Sugar, which was sold out on Amazon. I couldn’t find anything similar in my grocery stores so I made my own.

Scones, coffee cakes, cookies, and pies – anything goes. Infused sugars really shine when you build flavor throughout the different parts of a recipe.

The scone recipe, for example, has the sugar incorporated into the filling, dough, and sprinkled on the top for a triple layering of vanilla infused goodness.

Coffee and Tea

Want to add a hit of vanilla to your coffee and tea beverages? Vanilla Bean Sugar adds delicious vanilla flavor and aroma to beverages. Use it to make your coffee and tea lattes or even just add it to your daily cup of joe.

Cocktails and Mocktails

I have a series of infused sugars and shrub recipes coming up that will all be used in a DIY Gin Bar. This Vanilla Bean Sugar is one of those.

Make simple syrups with it to add to drinks or muddle it with herbs and shake it up to add an extra layer of flavor.

DIY Gin Bar Recipes

Here are all the recipes that are part of the DIY Gin Bar!

Infused Sugars

• Orange Sugar with Szechuan Peppers
• Lemon Zest Sugar with Cardamom
• DIY Citrus Sugar with Lemon and Dill
• Lemon and Lavender Infused Sugar

Shrubs

• Strawberry Shrub with Basil and Peppercorn
• Blackberry Shrub with Vanilla and Earl Grey
• Lemon Shrub with Cardamom and Mint
• Orange Shrub with Cardamom and Thyme
• Orange Shrub Recipe with Yunnan Tea and Szechuan Peppers

Cocktails

• Strawberry Gin Fizz
• Blackberry Gin Fizz
• Mint Gin Fizz
• Lemon Gin Fizz with Cucumber and Dill
• Orange Gin Fizz
• Gin Lemonade Cocktail

Mocktails

• Orange-Basil Strawberry Mocktail
• Vanilla Earl Grey Blackberry Mocktail
• Sparkling Basil Lemon Mocktail
• Lemon-Dill Cucumber Mocktail
• Rosemary & Mint Lemonade Mocktail

Raw Sugar vs. White Sugar

I used raw sugar because when I first made this I was trying to replicate Heilala’s Pure Vanilla Bean Sugar.

However, I’ve always found that raw sugar is very hard to dissolve into drinks, even if the liquid is hot. If you primarily want to use Vanilla Bean Sugar for beverages, I would suggest using regular white sugar.

You can also put raw sugar in a high-speed blender, like a Vitamix, and blend it until the sugar particles are finer. Or you can grind it in a mortar and pestle until it is a fine powder.