Homemade Vanilla Sugar
Saving scraped vanilla bean pods to add to your sugar canister is an easy way to stretch every bit of flavor from an ingredient you already paid for. Over time, the pods gently scent the sugar with natural vanilla, giving you a simple homemade baking staple with almost no extra effort.
Servings: 32 Tablespoons
Calories: 49kcal
Equipment
- Large Cutting Board
Instructions
Scrape the Vanilla Beans
- Placing the soft vanilla bean on a cutting board, and using a sharp paring knife, carefully slice each vanilla bean lengthwise.2 large vanilla beans
- Using the flat of the paring knife blade, or a spoon, scrape the grainy, black-ish vanilla caviar out of the vanilla bean. Transfer to a small bowl, and using in place of your vanilla extract in your recipe. Note: Substitute the caviar scrapings of ½ a large vanilla bean to each 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract when baking.
For the Vanilla Sugar
- Don't throw the scraped vanilla pod away, as it is still full of vanilla itself. Instead, place it in a quart mason jar or your canister of granulated sugar.2 cups granulated sugar
- Allow to sit for 2-3 days and then use the vanilla sugar in place of regular sugar. The vanilla pod will give off flavor for many, many months!
Notes
How To Use A Vanilla Bean
- Choose plump beans: Select fresh, soft, and fragrant vanilla beans for maximum flavor and easy scraping.
- Split carefully: Use a sharp knife to split the bean lengthwise, taking care not to cut yourself.
- Scrape thoroughly: Use the back of the knife to scrape out all the tiny seeds for full flavor in your recipe.
- Use pods wisely: Don’t discard the scraped pods; add them to sugar, cream, or milk to capture every bit of vanilla.
- Store properly: Keep unused beans in an airtight container in a cool, dark place to maintain flavor and freshness. Do not store in a freezer
- Vanilla extract substitution: Use 1 whole vanilla bean (scraped) to replace 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid vanilla extract in most recipes.
- Vanilla sugar alternative: If a recipe calls for vanilla extract in sugar-based recipes, use homemade vanilla sugar in place of some or all of the regular sugar.
- Pod infusion: Simmer the whole pod in milk or cream to infuse liquid flavor for custards or puddings as a substitute for extract.
- Dried bean powder: Grind a dried vanilla pod into a fine powder and use it as a direct swap for extract in dry ingredients like cake or cookie batters.
Nutrition
Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 0.1mg | Potassium: 0.3mg | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 0.1mg | Iron: 0.01mg
