Vanilla Bean Sugar

By Renee Shelton

After the main duty of your vanilla bean (crème brûlée, vanilla sauce or ice cream, caramel sauce, etc.) you may be tempted to toss it. Why not keep it and extend its life and usefulness? After rinsing it off, allow the vanilla bean to dry and stick it into your container of granulated sugar. This will impart a vanilla essence in the sugar, giving it a vanilla aroma and flavor which can travel to your pastry recipes containing that sugar.

For a more intense vanilla flavor, make your own vanilla bean sugar. Take about 2 cups of granulated sugar and scrape two fresh vanilla beans into it. Rub with your fingertips and stir well to incorporate the beans throughout the sugar. The vanilla bean sugar will be highly fragranced and flavored, perfect for any baking recipe calling for vanilla, and the little specks of vanilla beans adds to the fun. Makes a great gift for a baker.