We tried four flavors- lavender, vanilla, rose and orange. We let the orange zest dry overnight before adding it to the sugar. The lavender and vanilla beans were already dry. The rose petals we put in without drying. We let them all sit in a closed jar for one week. After a week, we used a fine mesh strainer to remove the buds/zest and tried out our new flavored sugar!
The results were super interesting and not what I expected. The rose was gross. It smelled gross and it tasted like normal sugar- no flavor. If I tried that again I would use rose tea instead of rose petals. The lavender was good, but very mild. I would add more buds next time (two tablespoons instead of one?) because I like a strong floral flavor. The orange flavor was good. I would probably like it stronger too, or maybe mixed with another flavor. The vanilla was AMAZING. So so so good. If you want to experiment I would highly recommend you try that one. We only used two vanilla beans in our small jar of sugar and the flavor and scent is so strong. I’ve tried it on grapefruit and in my coffee and it’s absolutely delicious!
Vanilla wins!
107 Comments
So interesting…I could imagine the rose being gross. While I was in India recently they served rose water and I was not a fan.at.all
-Courtney
Lovely idea doing this for guests or yourself! I put left over vanilla pods in my sugar jar but never though of putting any other things… Love your blog!
Rebecca xx
http://www.zemakeup.blogspot.com
Definitely seems fun! I will totally be trying Vanilla and probably Orange as well! I love that you are so real with us and share your successes and learning ‘failures’. So awesome!
xoxo
Juliette Laura
http://juliettelaura.blogspot.com
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Will try the vanilla 🙂 especially in my iced coffee. Can’t wait!
My Oma has been making Vanilla sugar all my life (I am clinging too my mid-thirties). It’s so delicious.
I found a stand at the farmer’s market that has apple mint for $1 a bunch. I made extract with it this week, but maybe next week I should try for an infused sugar.
great idea. im gonna try now! thanks so much:)
This is so exciting and such a lovely idea! I’ll have to give the vanilla sugar a go – YUM! It’s true about roses though, even when drying out rose petals for confetti you’d think that they’d retain their floral scent, but they end up smelling a bit like damp socks! x
Makings Musings and Meanderings
Lavender infused is my fav!
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Orange and vanilla sugars sound amazing! They even sound good together. 🙂 I’ve made infused salts before, but never sugar. I’ll have to give this a try.
Lavender infused sugar is really good in Shortbread, also cake. 🙂 I use vanilla sugar a lot, the flavour carries well. Also if the orange worked well, you could try cinnamon and orange!
Wow it seems fund ! Gonna try it !
XX Luba
A look between casual and dressy, today on
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What a good idea, the vanilla sugar sounds amazing! Definitely something I want to try 🙂
♥Brooke
http://youreinbrookelynn.blogspot.com/
Love grapefruit and vanilla so I will have to make some!
I love infused sugars. I keep forgetting to make vanilla sugar when i bake. It’s perfect to do when you make a recipe that calls for you to scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean leaving you with the leftover pod that you otherwise might throw away!
-Becca
http://ladyfaceblog.blogspot.com
This looks so interesting. Thank you!
http://annescribblesanddoodles.blogspot.com/
wow this is amazing, I haven’t really heard about these before, maybe it’s me being old-fashioned or it’s not really a big thing in Europe…?
Hmm that is interesting, i’m maybe gonna try it! 🙂
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I love this idea, its not something I have ever thought of trying.
http://secretsofahappygirl.blogspot.co.uk
Love the idea! Especially the idea of vanilla sugar in coffee. Definitely going to have to make it’s way into my morning routine.
Vanilla sugar in Earl Grey tea is definitely a hit jam around here.
Really interesting post- I’ve seen vanilla infused sugar in the supermarkets very time I’ve been to France but its hard to find at home except in fancy delicatessens, so I’ve made it myself with vanilla pods. also something great to make at home is vanilla extract- just use an alcohol like vodka or bourbon rum and run a knife through the vanilla pods to split them open and let to infuse in the alcohol for a few weeks. It’s much cheaper and more flavourful than store bough vanilla extract and I use it in all my baking where a recipe calls for it. Miriam H.
This is a cute idea! I never would have thought of infusing sugar, but it would be fun to experiment with different flavors!
Fancy sugars.. definitely sounds interesting. I’d love to try some in coffee!
def on my TO TRY list 😀
I used vanilla pods for the first time the other day and put the pods in a sugar jar after using the seeds. It’s delicious and it worked sooo fast. I could taste the vanilla the next day.
The vanilla sugar sounds so good, and also very easy to make !
Madeline | Its a Mads Mads World
I’m surprised the rose one was gross, rose flavoured sugar sounds so tasty. I assume this only works with dry ingredients as liquid would desolve the sugar, no?
Sounds like a fun experiment though, I’ll definitely put the lavender one on my list, I love lavender. And vanilla is always good. Wondering if cinnamon would work too…
Thanks for sharing!
Ooh this looks so cool, great idea!
http://www.beblacknblue.blogspot.co.uk
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Hm…. I’d never heard of this before. IT sounds awesome! 🙂
xo Deanna | http://curlyadventures.blogspot.com
I haven’t heard of this! What have I been missing out on? I simply must try this. Thank you for introducing me to what seems like a fabulous thing.
Can you show your makeup collection?:)
It is organized so nicely and it made me really curious!
And can you do some more organization posts?
I love your blog! You two and your team inspired me to open my own blog!!! I did open one:)
Oh this seems really interesting. I’m going to give the grapefruit one a try! And lovely photos.
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Heading out to buy vanilla beans as soon as I post this comment! 🙂
Huh, I;ve never tried it, or heard of this kind of sugar but that vanilla sounds amazing! 🙂 Will try 🙂
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I didn’t knew about this but it sounds great! xx
http://www.creativityandchocolate.com
I’d love to try the lavender and Vanilla. I can imagine the Vanilla one tastes lovely in your Coffee!
http://sincerelylara.com
i always make vanilla sugar. never throw out the scraped out vanilla bean pods. whenever i bake/cook something and only need the vanilla seeds, i throw the vanilla pod into my sugar jar. whenever i used up about a third or half of the sugar i refill the jar with plain sugar and shake it well. plus every once in a while i sort out the older vanilla pods.
vanilla sugar – always on hand. perfect!
I’ve done the vanilla bean infused sugar before with lovely results, but I never thought to do rose. I’ll have to try this. I wonder what it would taste like used in tea or for cupcake frosting…hmmm.
Such a good idea! I love the idea of vanilla sugar in my English Breakfast tea in the morning.
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Try cleaning and drying the rise petals before adding to sugar.
Never seen or heard of this before but I most definitely have to try the vanilla one! Maybe that’ll be my replacement for vanilla syrup in my coffee. Thanks for sharing :)!
My mom used to do this with vanilla beans. One of my favourite childhood memories. The BEST.
-Naomi
http://girldust.com
I often use vanilla sugar instead of vanilla extract in baking. It goes well with brown sugar and white (not the one made with melasses but the dry kind). If you want a stronger vanilla you could open up the stems and let the seeds out.
First time I heard about infused sugars… Sound interesting and fun, I should give it a try someday 😉
Saludos,
Clau! From Clo By Clau!
Love this 🙂 Fresh mint infused would be nice too!
Rosie x | Every Word Handwritten
I do this with my sugar! Loving lavender sugar at the moment 🙂
Lulu xx
http://luluslittlewonderland.blogspot.com
ooh must try this one day!
ATA|AllThingsAnita – please take a minute to give me some feedback on my blog! xx
I hope you didn’t pluck a florist rose! So many chemicals!!! Wild rose sugar is actually incredible. Look up gulkand.
i love vanilla sugar! its amazing on top of scones and muffins.
I love eating grapefruit with sugar!
Seaside Beauty
xxx
Definitely going to try this! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Interesting! I would like to try the vanilla! 😀 Maybe I’ll make some.
I’ve never heard of infused sugar before. I’m glad that I know what it is now. I might have to try making this, after I’ve read your post.
~Jenny
Try muddling them together (the sugar and the flavoring) before sealing the jar. That’s how I make my lavender sugar- it must help it to release its oils or fragrance or whatever, because it comes out really well! Zests work well this way too 🙂
The Vanilla sounds delicious! Where did you find the lavender buds? I’ve looked everywhere and can only find fragranced buds for candles and such.
My sister-in-law uses vanilla sugar on her homemade rolls. She brushes on melted butter then sprinkles the vanilla infused sugar on the rolls and it’s to die for! Warm bread, butter and vanilla sugar? It doesn’t get better than that!
Vanilla and orange !!
Mom nom nom!
Nicole
http://www.eleganceandclutter.blogspot.com
I had no idea. Very cool.
I have never heard of these before but I will definitely try them with an iced coffee:)
stylescripture.com
I really want to try the vanilla one but with splenda sugar because i can’t eat the real thing :/.
I haven’t heard about Infused Sugar until now :O
But it looks like something great to try!
Thank you for this post, I’m excited to try this out!
Love vanilla sugar! Good for baking too 🙂
Carina xx
http://www.carstina.com/
You mentioned using rose tea…tea infused sugars are delicious as well! I make an Earl Grey infused sugar that would probably be amazing for sugared donuts, or to rim a cocktail made with wild tea vodka or something. When you try the lavender donuts let us know!
Love this! I once did the lavender one but then forgot it was there for… a few months. Then when I went back it was pretty solid… XD Note to self: remember when you infuse sugar!
Interesting post. Have known about flavored sugar but never got around actually doing it myself. A must-try some day soon.
Wow, this is really interesting! Thanx for teaching me something new today!
Fang Ting
http://ftashion.blogspot.com
Lovely experiments. I actually infuse strawberries with sugar. Cut strawberries in half, sprinkle sugar and they kind of ‘coo’ in the sugar.
I’ll try some of yours
Thank you
Be
Can’t wait to try this..thanks for sharing with us
Daffy
http://daffysdream.blogspot.in/
I’ve never even heard of “infused sugars.” Ohhhhhh the things we find from Pinterest!
What a cute little way to add some fragrance to a simple thing like sugar.
The Patch Diaries
It looks really fabulous! but is lavender edible? I mean; should you mix it torough the Sugar and eat it together, or should you put it on top of it and get it of when using the Sugar? -xxx-
I wonder about using something really different… like a chili. Some kind of spicy sugar might be good with rich chocolate.
Hey there! I’ve been reading your blog for a long time and there’s a question that comes to my mind everytime I see your photos… How do you store them? How do you organize them once you’ve taken them? I know you love to print them and display them at home, but what I’d love to know is how you organize them in your laptops. I just can’t figure out by myself how you do that. There are so many photos in your blog, and more there may be in your computers! Would you please write a post about that? Thanks a lot!
Love your blog!
I’ve never thought about infused sugar before, but it looks AMAZING! And so much fun.
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I think it would be better to just add some essential oils to the sugar. You can get orange, lemon, lavender, rose oils and just drop a few drops in the sugar and stir.
A friend made me some vanilla infused sugar for Christmas with vanilla beans she had imported from Madagascar. Incredible!
These look really cool. I’d never even heard about infused sugars.
http://www.fullbellywornsoles.com
The vanilla sugar sounds REALLY yummy!
CELIAROSE
epiceliarose.blogspot.com
For the lavender, try a berry sugar instead of regular and let it sit for three weeks … that’s how we make it at our lavender farm!
Any idea on how to make your own infused sugar ? Would love to try the vanilla !
I’ve wanted to try this for ages!
Cathy
http://www.whiskshooksandbooks.blogspot.co.uk
I’ve never heard of it before, but this is such a cool idea!! I’d wanna try the vanilla one and the orange one. Chocolate and grapefruit sugars would be cool, but I’m not creative enough to think of much more. : (
Interesting experiment! I think the lavender sounds really intriguing. The Rose petals looked like it would turn out delicious but…not so much! lol! But I think I’ll try out the vanilla bean for sure. Thanks for posting and honest post about your sugar infused testing. Looking forward to seeing your next go around!! 🙂
This is such a cool idea to play with 🙂 definitely will try the Vanilla one!
Ila x
http://cleanserblog.blogspot.co.uk/
This seems like an amazing idea and definitely something I have to try. I’m going to buy some sugar and some small mason jars when I go to the grocery next week. I love the idea of Cinnamon Orange that someone mentioned. And the Vanilla sugar.
I’m not sure about the Lavender though because I’ve never had Lavender in food, but I think I want to try it and if I like it maybe use it for my tea.
The rose however I’ve got to stay far away from because I’m terribly allergic to roses. So I guess I’m glad you tried it and since it came out gross I’m not missing anything.
Mana
http://www.fashionandhappythings.com
I love rose scented and flavoured things but never thought about flavouring sugar with something other than vanilla or lavender! Awesome.
i’ve been doing this for awhile now and incorporating them in my bakings!!! i need to make a lemon zest one… that would be so great!!!
Not sure how exactly this would work in an infused sugar adaption, but as a pastry chef, if I’m adding zest to something I zest the citrus directly into the sugar, and rub it in, then let it sit for a few minutes before adding it to the batter – the sugar absorbs the oils. Not sure if this would make the sugar too wet, if you could dry it out after you add it to the sugar and let it mature, then sift to remove the zest? Just a suggestion.
I recently bought some strawberry sugar and peppermint sugar. Both are aaaamazing! But I’ve yet to try making my own. Definitely on my list of things to do!
xo Heather
http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/
Lavender seems to be a trendy ingredient lately. I had it at chocopologie in my hot cocoa and it legit tasted like soap in my cocoa. 😛 ill skip the lavender infused anything! But I would definitely love to try sugar infused vanilla in my coffee. Yum! Thanks for sharing.
Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1993/1994
http://www.marthastewart.com/272213/scented-sugars?search_key=infused%20sugar
Vanilla and anything is so good , can’t wait to try it out.
My mum has always kept vanilla pods in the jar of caster sugar, so I do as well, it adds just a little hint of something to cakes 🙂
I suggest you to try to put some dried carrot slices in it. Because if you put sugar in top of carrot slices just like that, after a couple of hours the sugar is transformed in this kind of juice, but it tastes very nicely (: If you do, let me know how did it go, please ^^
Love infused sugars.
I have done citrus sugars before. Lemon Sugar can be found on my blog.
I will be trying to vanilla for sure. Thanks for sharing!
I read about making vanilla sugar not too long ago! A recipe called for vanilla seeds and the author included the tip to make vanilla sugar with the remaining vanilla pods. That way, you get two delicious results (and you’re not being wasteful!)
do you think it would work with raw sugar? i have a big box of it, and i only use a very small amount in my coffee occasionally.
I have been wanting to do something similar but with salt! Lemon zest and Rosemary infused salt sounds seemingly easy to do!
I will have to try this with vanilla beans!
I bake with lavender infused sugar as often as I can. Cupcakes for the win! I’ve found that I like to leave my lavender in for a few weeks so it’s REALLY stong. I won’t lie, I’ve forgotten about it before and it was still fantastic (after over two months!). I highly recommend lavender lemonade!
Also, another delicious sugar infusion is hibiscus. I’m a Hawaiian native and hibiscus infused sugar makes fanTAStic tea and lemonade.
I must do this!
Valentina
http://valentinaduracinsky.blogspot.com/
I’ve never heard of this before, but I’m definitely gonna try it
http://colormedarling.blogspot.com/
I recently made mint sugar. So good with strawberries!
Great idea ! I do it with vanilla for the coffee but I’m definitely gonna try these other recipes…
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I love this! Is it possible to use fresh lavender buds? Vanilla and orange work well because they still have a lot of oils that transfer to the sugar even when semi-dry, but lavender not so much. Please let us know if you try fresh stuff and it’s safe! 🙂 🙂
-megan
if you bake a lot its very nice to make your own vanilla sugar to use in recipes. Just add the emptied vanilla pods that you used to a big pot of sugar. we do it as well and it is vey nice 🙂
Did you use normal granulated sugar? It looks super fine in the last two photos. 🙂
I’ve been keeping a few vanilla beans in my sugar canister for a few years now (obviously not the same beans for years). I learned about it from Nigella Lawson. I just use it instead of regular sugar now for EVERYTHING, because it’s SO GOOD. I definitely want to try lavender now, though. Maybe even lavender/vanilla.