Before I knew Vanilla Extract we used Vanilla Sugar. I found out about vanilla extract probably in 2000 when I first came to the US. We didn’t have it in Slovakia or I wasn’t aware it was available. Anyhow, vanilla sugar we’d use was sold in individual packets like these Dr. Oetker Vanillin Sugar (10 Pack)
I didn’t really know Amazon or E-bay when I first came to the United States, and finding some of the familiar ingredients in the grocery store was like looking for a needle in the hay stack. Actually I had it sent from Europe. I know hard to believe but when living in a foreign country you’d do anything for things that remind you home, even the slightest smell if that might be the case.
Later in my self-taught culinary adventure, it was Wolfgang Puck‘s show on Food Network that introduced Vanilla Bean. He used it to make the vanilla pudding and suggested that left over vanilla pod can be used to make vanilla sugar. I waited several years till I actually tried that myself, few years back and I’ve been doing it ever since.
This year I decided to give some as gifts, though my recipe has changes since the last time, normally I’d just bury vanilla bean into the sugar and let it sit for several weeks this time we are going to make this Vanilla Sugar Experience even better by using the whole vanilla bean.
Vanilla Bean Sugar (fills 5 4ounce jars)
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean(whole pod)
Put 1 cup of sugar and vanilla bean into a food processor or a blender and blend away.Sugar will turn into a white powder and vanilla bean will turn into vanilla bean powder, however there may be small particles that didn’t get blended so therefore you need to sift the mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove any small bits of vanilla bean that may be present and discard them, then add sifted sugar to the remaining sugar, stir well. This technique will result in medium fine texture***.
***For Super Fine Texture process all the sugar with the whole vanilla bean, then sift through a fine mesh strainer.
Store Vanilla Bean Sugar in an airtight container, Shake or stir it once in a while.
To make the Vanilla Bean Sugar Gift Jars
I used 4 ounce jars(filled 5 jars and have a about 1/2 jar leftover for myself), but you can use anything you’d like.
You can’t go wrong with good Vanilla Bean Sugar.
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