Homemade Vanilla Sugar & Printable Labels
You may remember that during the holiday season I shared a recipe for Homemade Vanilla Extract. After I made all of my extract I still had some beans left over. Immediately I began dreaming of vanilla bean ice cream and vanilla bean cupcakes with a vanilla bean buttercream frosting. {Oh excuse me… I just need to wipe some drool off my chin.} But then I happened upon the idea of vanilla sugar! So, of course, being the crafty lady I am, I decided to make my own Homemade Vanilla Sugar! Not only does this work as a great treat for me, but it doubles as a Valentine’s treat to someone “sweet” in my life!
I realize that the idea of vanilla sugar may seem a little luxurious. And… well… it is! You can find it in specialty grocery stores or in high end food boutiques. But it is soooo simple to make some of your own!
Are you ready for the ingredient list? It is pretty extensive. coughsarcasmcough
All you need is granulated sugar and a vanilla bean. I use the ratio of 1 cup of sugar to each vanilla bean. I got my vanilla beans from here.
Begin by splitting your vanilla bean in half. Using the back of your knife, scrape out the vanilla caviar inside the bean. {Vanilla caviar may not be the official name but I like it so I’m going to keep using it.} Once you have scraped out your vanilla bean, put the vanilla caviar in the sugar. {Yes, I realize that the caviar in the vanilla looks like a little present your cat left you. Just ignore the instinct to laugh like a little kid… or, you know, be like me and make that joke on your blog. 
}
Using a spoon, mix the vanilla caviar into the sugar until all large clumps are broken up. Now don’t throw away that emptied vanilla bean pod! Cut it up and put it into the sugar mixture too! It will keep seeping more flavor into the sugar!
And if you ever wondered what vanilla caviar looks like, this is it. It looks like tiny little granules of vanilla scented deliciousness. It sticks to your fingers but I never feel bad about it since my fingers end up smelling delicious for the day.
Transfer your vanilla sugar into an airtight container. For the most potency, let the vanilla permeate the sugar for 2 weeks, shaking it up once a day. Then open it up, smell the amazing vanilla scent and enjoy!
You may be wondering how to use vanilla sugar. You can use it in anything that calls for sugar or anything you want sweetened that you also want a little extra flavor of vanilla. It’s most common uses are in coffee, iced tea, on fresh fruit, or sprinkled on cookies {think peanut butter cookies or snickerdoodles}!
The great part is that as you use up more vanilla beans, you can throw the emptied pods into your sugar and keep replenishing it. It is such a wonderful treat! In fact, I gave some as a gift over the holidays and then promptly came home and made more for myself! It is so fantastic!
I also wanted to share the labels I created for the vanilla sugar. Just click the link above and download the labels. They measure 2.5×2.5-inches.
I have also had many, many people request the labels I created for my Homemade Vanilla Extract. I finally got around to making a more generic label for all of you! It has blank spots for you to enter your name and how long you have aged the vanilla extract. Just download the labels using the link above!
Have you ever baked with vanilla beans? Have you ever used vanilla sugar?
