Imagine some vanilla and strawberry sugar sprinkles on top of a cookie. Think of the sugar used to decorate the rim of cocktail glasses. Imagine making fun of your worst enemy with hard cayenne pepper candy. If you too have a sweet tooth, now is the time to give a boost of originality to this simple ingredient: sugar.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Flavor the Sugar with Ground Spices
Step 1. Get some sugar
The white one has a decidedly less complex flavor than the other types, so it is an excellent base to start from. Cane and raw are fine, but be aware that the flavor of the aromas will be less perceptible due to their high molasses content.
Step 2. Pour 200 g of sugar into an airtight container
You can use a ziplock bag, tupperware container, jar or other container that is clean and airtight. Since this method uses dry, powdered spices, you don't need a blender or any other tools.
By following the same instructions, you can make smaller or larger amounts of flavored sugar. Just remember to keep the proportions between the ingredients
Step 3. Add 10-50g of spices
For this method, you need to use dry powdered or ground spices (you can use a mortar and pestle or a grinder for this). Each spice has a different flavor and intensity, so feel free to experiment. As a starting point it is recommended to use 10 g (for a delicate taste) and possibly increase up to 50 g (for an intense aroma).
- Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and nutmeg they are among the most used spices in the preparation of desserts, so it is worth combining them with sugar. You can use each flavor pure or in combination with the others.
- Sugar with cayenne pepper it is only for the most daring and gives a boost of energy and flavor to both savory dishes and cocktails.
- In this method you can also employ bitter cocoa and instant coffee or other perfumed powders. Try to use at least 50g as their flavor is less concentrated than spices.
Step 4. Mix the ingredients thoroughly
Close the airtight container and mix the sugar with the spices by shaking. Alternatively, mix everything with a fork or other cutlery, but make sure you get a homogeneous mixture before closing the container.
Step 5. Wait for the sugar to rest overnight (or longer) before using it
During this time it will absorb all the aromas which will become even stronger in the following days. Since all the products used are dry, you can store the mixture in a sugar bowl or similar container.
Method 2 of 4: Flavor the Sugar with Herbs and Citrus Zest
Step 1. Choose the flavor
You can use any type of grass or citrus you want for this method. Below you will find some ideas and the doses refer, approximately, to 200 g of sugar:
- Rosemary, rose buds or dried lavender for food use they are excellent ingredients for flavoring sugar. Lavender, in particular, has a very intense scent. Use about 40g for every 200g of sugar.
- Mint allows you to prepare a sugar that is excellent for baked desserts and cocktails. Try mixing 70g of mint leaves into 200g of sugar.
- The basil it is among the most unusual aromas in a sweet preparation and goes well with lime. Use about 15g.
- You can use the zest of lemon, lime, orange and all the other citrus fruits to perfume the sugar. Detach only the colored part of the peel of the fruit and avoid albedo. If you love a delicate aroma, the zest of two fruits is enough, use a lot more if you prefer strong flavors.
Step 2. Dry the wet ingredients and then wait for them to cool
Fresh herb leaves and citrus peel should be dried before adding them to sugar to prevent lumps from forming. There are several ways to do this:
- Arrange the ingredients on a layer of kitchen paper making sure they don't overlap. Finally, put them in the microwave several times for 30 seconds at a time. After each "cooking" check the leaves and remove them from the appliance when they are crunchy.
- Turn the oven on low and arrange the leaves on a baking sheet. Dry them for 20 minutes or until they are dry. Do not use the oven at a high temperature otherwise you will burn the aromatic herbs.
- Leave the ingredients in a place with a light breeze to dry for 8-24 hours. Direct sunlight could reduce the intensity of the flavor.
Step 3. Grind the leaves / peels
The sugar will absorb their flavor more quickly if they are ground into a powder with a coffee or spice grinder. You will also get a finished product with a uniform color.
- You could also use a food processor, but it won't make the leaves a fine powder.
- If you have decided to use lavender, put the whole flowers in sugar and strain it when you decide to use it. Lavender flowers (or flavored sugar leftovers) can be reused to perfume more sugar before they lose their intensity.
Step 4. Mix the ingredients in 200g of sugar
The white one has less risk of forming lumps than other types of sugars, so it is an excellent ingredient for these preparations that require a little moisture. However, feel free to experiment.
Step 5. Store the sugar in an airtight container
It should rest all night and, over time, it will become more and more aromatic. Use a dry and airtight container to protect the sugar from moisture and microorganisms.
Use sugar with citrus peels within two weeks
Method 3 of 4: Flavor the Sugar with Other Ingredients
Step 1. Use extracts
Almond, vanilla or fruit are among the simplest to use. Start by adding 2-4 drops of liquid for every 200g of sugar, as these are very concentrated flavors. Stir carefully until the color is uniform and with a spoon mash the lumps of wet sugar.
Step 2. Add a vanilla bean
Cut it in half, lengthwise and try to extract the greatest amount of internal pulp, formed by small black seeds. Mix or blend the pulp with 0.5-1 kg of sugar, depending on the intensity of the aroma you want to obtain. Also add the pod to the airtight container you use to store the sugar. Wait at least 48 hours for the flavors to blend.
Step 3. Try adding bitter spirits
If you have never considered "alcoholic sugar" before, now is the time to think about it. Bitters for cocktails are usually very intense so don't exceed 10-15ml in 200g of sugar to start. You can add them later according to your tastes.
Step 4. Grind the freeze-dried fruit
These fruits can be ground into a powder with a spice or coffee grinder and then incorporated into the sugar by hand. The fruit will also impart a nice color as well as flavor.
Method 4 of 4: Using Flavored Sugar
Step 1. Add sugar to drinks
Mix the cocoa or vanilla sugar into the hot milk. Mint or citrus fruit is great in cold teas and mojitos. Virtually any type of flavored sugar is great for decorating cocktails. Rub the rim of a glass with a lemon wedge and then sprinkle it with the sugar crystals.
Step 2. Use it to make sweets
Most of the extracts and spices used in sweets are already present in flavored sugar. Replace the normal one with aromatic sugar when baking a cake or make the aroma of muffins, pudding and semifreddo more intense by sprinkling them with it. Use the citrus fruit if you want to give sweets an acid tinge.
Step 3. Create cubic or fancy cubes
Granulated sugar can be made into lumps by adding 5ml of water for every 100g of sweetener. If necessary, add more water, but only a little at a time, mixing thoroughly to make it moist and sandy. Press the mixture into an ice cube tray or fun-shaped silicone mold. Leave everything at room temperature until the cubes harden (one to eight hours). Finally, transfer the cubes to an airtight container.
- If you don't have molds, you can press the sugar onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut the moist mass in a grid pattern (or whatever you like) and wait for it to dry.
- During these operations you can also flavor the sugar by replacing half of the water with liquid extracts or bitters.
Step 4. Make candy sticks
After a couple of days steeped, it transforms the flavored sugar into hard candies. Tie a string to a pencil and place it on top of a clean glass jar. Heat the sugar in a pan with some water to create a basic syrup. Finally, pour the syrup into the jar. If you have used non-powdered flavorings, you will need to strain the syrup as you pour it into the container.
Step 5. Make cotton candy
It is possible to recreate this typical dessert of fairs even without the special machine, although it is a complicated process. If you've used liquid flavorings, then wait at least two weeks before using sugar for this recipe. You will also need to sift it to remove any large ingredients.
Advice
- Make the sugar even more distinctive by adding a couple of drops of food coloring.
- Label the sugar jar with the ingredients and date of preparation.
