Vanilla Sugar

Granulated or Powdered

Appears in
Better Than Store-Bought: Authoritative recipes that most people never knew they could make at home

By Helen Witty and Elizabeth Schneider

Published 1979

  • About

Because of its fragrance, vanilla sugar seems sweeter than unflavored sugar, either granulated or powdered. Use granulated vanilla sugar sparingly to enhance the flavor of sliced fruits; and use it, too, in place of regular sugar in delicate pastries and desserts. Sprinkle a snowfall of powdered vanilla sugar over crêpes, sponge cake, Ladyfingers, or Pound Cake. It is also particularly good for making icings.

Simply bury one, two, or even more vanilla beans in a jar of sugar and cover it with a tight lid. If you want the beans to flavor the sugar more quickly, cut them lengthwise with kitchen shears. Do this over the container of sugar so the tiny seeds—source of much of the flavor—will land where they belong.