Put on your DIY-homemaker apron, it's time to make some fabulous sugars at a fraction of the price of a gourmet spice store. I don't know about you, but I love walking around stores like Spice and Tea Exchange and Penzeys to get ideas for my kitchen. Sometimes I'll splurge a little and pick up a new and interesting spice like Vietnamese cinnamon, but most of the time I always find myself looking at the flavored sugar varieties.
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Flavored sugar is exactly what is sounds like- sugar that has been flavored with ingredients ranging from spicy to floral. Gourmet food stores sell these sugars for about $4 an ounce. Sounds pretty reasonable right? Figured out, that's about three tablespoons. The sugar is now worth a very sweet penny.
Luckily for you, it's almost too easy to make these gourmet flavored sugars at home. Using granulated sugar and flavoring it with anything from a vanilla bean and ginger to making your very own blueberry sugar, all it takes is a few minutes of your time.
How to Make Flavored Sugars
Today's recipes are simple and require no special equipment. If you are looking to make colored sugars, you have the option to use a spice grinder or a food processor to really chop up the flavored ingredients. We like the rustic look of seeing the zest so we decided to just use a simple spoon to combine the ingredients.
One of the great things about these sugars is the fact they make the best gifts. Whether you are attending a friend's house for dinner or your mother-in-laws for tea, they'll be head over heels for this homemade gift. Gift vanilla bean sugar with a homemade muffin mix, pair dark cocoa sugar with a mug or espresso sugar with a packet of hot chocolate. The gift is totally multi-functional!
Chili Lime Sugar
If you are looking to add a little bit of latin flair to your drinks and baked goods, this chili lime sugar is made for you. Use a microplane or grater to zest a lime into the sugar and top with a sprinkling of chili powder. You can add an addition of cayenne if you really want it hot.
We suggest using this sugar on the rim of cocktail glasses for a fun and spicy addition to drinks like margaritas.
Orange Sugar
Orange you glad you made this sugar? Fruit-flavored sugars like this orange sugar go well with practically everything. Use this citrus sugar on muffins, in ice tea and even a base for caramel sauce.
Spiced Sugar
When I was a kid and couldn't sleep my dad would always make me a slice of cinnamon toast. Reminiscent of the cinnamon sugar he used to sprinkle on the buttered toast, this spiced sugar has the addition of nutmeg to make the mixture bolder. Sprinkle this in your coffee, on a piece of toast or even apple slices.
