What’s better than sweet sugar? Vanilla sugar! Vanilla flavor is one of the flavors we love – in cakes, ice creams, cupcakes, cookies, even in soda drinks. When you use vanilla sugar, you get the sweetness of sugar with the delicious vanilla flavor. Isn’t it better that way?
Vanilla Sugar Trivia
- Vanilla sugar is a great gift idea! You can make vanilla sugar at home and give it to friends and family on special occasions.
- Vanillin, the artificial flavor used to make cheap vanilla sugar, was made using different methods and ingredients, including coal tar.
- Madagascar vanilla bean and Tahitian vanilla bean are great choices for making vanilla sugar. You can buy this in specialty stores or order online.
- Did you know that vanilla beans come from the vanilla plant which is the only edible fruit of the orchid family?
Vanilla Sugar Buying Guide
Vanilla sugar is sold in specialty stores. The best place to look for it is in stores selling kitchen and bakery items. Vanilla sugar is not commonly sold in supermarkets and groceries outside of the US. And this is not cheap. Thanks to e-commerce, it is possible to order vanilla sugar.
It helps if you are shopping outside of the US to know what vanilla sugar is called there. In Germany, it is called vanillezucker. In Poland, vanilla sugar is called cukier waniliowy. If you are in Hungary, look for vaníliás cukor. Vanilla sugar is called vaniljsocker in Sweden, while in Macedonia, it is called Bанилин шеќер.
While shopping for vanilla sugar, you might see a product called vanilla-flavored sugar. It could be the same as vanilla sugar, or this could be sugar flavored with vanilla using artificial food flavor and not real vanilla beans.
Vanilla Sugar Production & Farming in Texas
Vanilla sugar is made of sugar and vanilla beans. Vanilla beans are not commercially grown in the US, and in Texas, supply of vanilla sugar comes from small, local, artisanal businesses that sell homemade, small-batch vanilla sugar, made from either real vanilla beans or vanilla flavoring.
Pesticides, Additives, and Chemicals:
- Vanillin (3-methoxy-4-hydroxy benzaldehyde or CAS 121-33-5) is a common artificial additive found in cheap vanilla sugar. This white crystalline compound is not only cheap but is also an unhealthy artificial food flavoring.
Geography
Vanilla sugar is very popular in Europe. It is commonly used in many European countries, like Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Norway, and Hungary.
Mexico is considered the birthplace of the vanilla bean, but in terms of global production, Madagascar and Indonesia are at the top of the list. Mexico is at the top 5 list, along with China.
Packaging:
Vanilla sugar is sold in a glass or plastic container with a lid. You can also find vanilla sugar sold in a sealable and reclosable stand-up plastic bag or pouch.
Enjoying Vanilla Sugar
Food made and prepared using vanilla sugar is delicious. But if you develop an allergic reaction to vanilla, do not consume food with vanilla sugar. Avoid eating vanilla sugar in large quantities because this is unhealthy and will cause health problems. If you have prior medical issues with eating food flavored with vanilla, make sure to consult your doctor first before using and/or eating vanilla sugar.
Storage:
Keep the container closed after use and store it in a cool dry place. Vanilla sugar is shelf-stable. You don’t need to refrigerate or freeze vanilla sugar. You can put it on the counter, on the spice cabinet, in the pantry, or on the cupboard.
Cooking:
Vanilla sugar is used in garnishing cakes, cupcakes, cookies, muffins, pies, and confections. You can sprinkle it on cookie dough or muffins before baking. You can use vanilla sugar to sweeten your fruit salad and improve its taste. You can use vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar if you want to sweeten your drinks (hot coffee, ice coffee, tea, etc.) You can also line the rim of a cocktail glass with vanilla sugar for sweet cocktail drinks.
Use vanilla sugar for recipes where the taste of vanilla is prominent, not in recipes that feature ingredients with overpowering taste. A chocolate cake, for example, highlights the flavor of chocolate, and vanilla sugar is not best used for this. But if you are making vanilla cake, then it is reasonable to use vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar.
