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When/why would one use "vanilla sugar" instead of just plain sugar along with vanilla extract and/or beans/pods, particularly in recipes and baking? Is it just a matter of convenience?

I understand that some people might actually like to have vanilla sugar for direct use, such as sprinkling on things (as people also do with things like cinnamon sugar). I could imagine other "direct" uses, like flavoring coffee or tea with sugar that has a hint of vanilla. Besides convenience, in these cases having the vanilla already mixed in could allow quantities much smaller than would typically be measured otherwise in extract or whatever.

However, I've also seen an increasing number of recipes listing, for example, a cup of "vanilla sugar" in something to be baked. I can perhaps imagine a few cases where even the small amount of moisture or alcohol from extract would be undesirable (or something like that).

But aside from such unusual situations, when baking or making a recipe that has a decent quantity of sugar, are there advantages to the vanilla-infused sugar version compared to extracts or vanilla beans? Are there significant flavor differences/advantages to vanilla sugar?

Or is there some other reason it is popular?

Athanasius
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2 Answers2

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is there some other reason it is popular?

Yes: Vanilla beans are expensive, and once you've extracted the seeds, the husk, which still contains good vanilla flavor, is often discarded. Putting the empty husk in sugar allows you to extract some vanilla flavor that might otherwise be wasted. I usually save my empty vanilla bean pods and use them for making vanilla ice cream or some other dessert that involves hot liquids, steeping the pods in warm milk extracts the remaining flavor better than putting it in a container of sugar.

Dan C
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There is a product called Original VANILLA Sugar made by oetker. This product has been around for at least 20 years if not 30. It is artifically flavoured, a product of Canada, and comes in packages of 2 or 3, 9g (0.32oz). It smells delightful. It is made of dextrose, and artifical flavour. It is used in baking cakes, cookies, pastries, pies, deserts, sprinkled on fresh fruit, cereals, stirred into coffee, tea, milk, used as sugar, added to whipping cream. One package (pouch) is equivalent to 1-2 tsp vanilla and one pouch good for 4 cups flour or 4 cups liquid. Now, why use this? It's easy to store, pretty cheap and has a good long expiration date. 20-40 years ago, my Mother used to get this powder at the local pharmacy, unbelievable. Today, it's a new fad to make vanilla sugar at home with vanilla bean pods and sugar, just like 20-30 years ago my friends and I made containers of cinnamon sugar. It was convenient, it was good, and we used it on everything from pancakes, sprinkled it on cookies, french toast, whip cream, fresh fruit, think of it and I am it will be very delicious. People would use the "vanilla sugar" for convenience, also the dept of flavor develops after time in the container with the bean/pod after time so it is more deeper in flavor. This way you use less bean/pods in your receipes/baking and also using for other things as I described above as after touches for cookies, whip cream, coffee, etch. You may also add vanilla to your receipe plus the vanilla sugar to make the flavor bolder. It is that extra touch that some people won't figure out what was done and much easier than adding a liquid to sugar that will clump up.

user33210
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