How to Make Flavored and Colored Sugars

Flavored and colored sugars add a fanciful touch to cocktails, teas and baked goods. They are simple and inexpensive to prepare and make pretty hostess gifts, too.

Often, colorful sugars are used to rim a cocktail glass, similar to the salt-crusted lip of a margarita drink. The colors coordinate with the color of the bartender's concoction. Colored sugars often dust the tops of cookies, cakes, scones and other baked goods, too.

Flavored sugars may be used in any recipe, but their light taste may be better appreciated as a topping, for toast for example, or as a condiment for coffee and teas.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• superfine granulated white sugar
• vanilla bean, cut in three pieces OR
• cinnamon sticks (3)OR
• 1 Tbsp. citrus zest (orange or lemon or lime)
• liquid food coloring of your choice
• glass jars, quart size

1. Vanilla sugar: Cut vanilla bean into three pieces, but do not remove seeds. Place 2 cups of white sugar and vanilla bean pieces into the glass jar. Seal tightly. Store in a cool, dry place for at least two weeks, shaking the jar occasionally to distribute the vanilla essence.
   *Cinnamon Sugar: Use above recipe but replace vanilla bean with 3 sticks of cinnamon bark.

2. Citrus sugars: Using a mortar and pestle or a small bowl and a wooden spoon, crush 1 Tbsp of the citrus zest of your choice into 1 cup of white sugar. Continue until the zest oils are well distributed throughout the sugar. Store in a sealed glass jar.

3. Colored sugar: Place 1/2 cup of white sugar in a small bowl. Add only one drop of liquid food color of your choice. Blend into the sugar. It will take a lot of mixing. Add one more drop of coloring, if necessary but be careful not to add too much liquid coloring or the sugar will dissolve. After the desired hue is achieved, spread out sugar on parchment paper to dry.

4. Scented sugar cubes: Sugar cubes may be scented but not colored. The liquid food colors will dissolve the cubes. To scent sugar cubes, place them with your choice of citrus zest or cinnamon sticks or vanilla bean in a glass jar, seal and store. The flavor will be slight but the fragrance will be heavenly.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a high quality, granulated white sugar manufactured from sugar cane rather than beets. Beet sugar tends to have a slight odor that will inhibit your added flavorings. Superfine or regular granulated sugar works best. Rock and coarse grain sugar will not absorb the essence of the flavorings as well.
• To rim a cocktail glass with colored sugar, pour a small amount of corn syrup onto a flat plate. Then, pour the colored sugar onto another plate. Turn the glass upside down and lightly dip the lip into the syrup. Then, dip the lip into the colored sugar, grinding it in to pick up a good amount of sugar. Do not use water, juice or other thin liquid or the sugar will dissolve.
• For a welcomed hostess gift, pour into small glass jars, seal and wrap with a color-coordinated ribbon.
• Do not use water, juice or other thin liquid to rim the glass or the sugar will dissolve.