[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you appreciate fresh herbs, flowers and flavor-packed
spices, you may be open to creative new ways of enjoying them, such as infused sugar. Infused sugars are created by blending herbs, flowers or spices into various types of sugar to create unique seasoning for foods and beverages.
Infused sugars are surprisingly easy to make with simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen and/or garden. “Foodies” especially tend to love them, as they intensify the flavors in beverages, baked goods and many other foods. To make your own infused/flavored sugars, you will need:
Sugar of choice – You can use a wide range of sugars for this project, but bear in mind that white sugar and natural, calorie-free blends act like a blank canvas for delicate floral and herbal essences, while darker, heavier sugars may impart a competing molasses flavor. Options include:
If you love this project idea, but prefer to limit sugar, alternatives include:
Once you are set on sugar, your flavoring options abound, including:
Herbs – A wide range of fresh herbs work well in these sugar blends, such as basil, mint, rosemary, cilantro, lemon balm, thyme, marjoram and sage.
Flowers – You are spoiled for choice as to edible flower options. Consider:
- Rose
- Lilac
- Dandelion
- Lavender
- Chamomile
- Peony
- Violet
- Gardenia
- Calendula
- Nasturtium
- Hibiscus
- Chrysanthemum
- Elderflower
You can also flavor your sugar blends with dried herbs and spices, simply combining them in powdered form to sugar. A dedicated coffee grinder works beautifully for this purpose. Due to the flavor intensity of dried spices and herbs, start with a teaspoon per cup of sugar, adding more to taste.
Bonus: Herbs and spices heroically top the
ORAC chart for antioxidant intensity (
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). As they are highly concentrated, always choose organic if possible. Options include:
As for working with fresh herbs and flowers, you have several options as to how to create your infused sugars. Aim for about a half cup of fresh herbs or flower petals per one cup sugar. Your preparation options include:
Mortar and pestle – Combine sugar and herbs/flowers and grind the ingredients into a uniform mixture with a sand-like consistency. You then need to dry the slightly damp mixture. To do so, line a baking sheet with
unbleached parchment paper and evenly spread out the mix. This should take a day or less in most climates. When it has fully dried, smooth out any clusters for a smooth, silky final product.
Food processor – This method is even faster than hand-grinding but beware of overprocessing?unless you want powdered sugar. Once your mixture has a sand-like consistency, remove it from the appliance and dry and store it just as you would with the mortar and pestle method, above.
Aged infusion – You can also gradually infuse sugar blends. To do so, simply layer your edible flowers and/or fresh herbs with the sugar in a wide-mouth glass container. With this method, you just set it up and forget about it for a week or two, after which your sugar should be well infused with the fresh plant essences. You then need only strain out the residual leaves or blossoms before drying the sugar.
This infusion method results in a particle-free blend, which might be preferable for use in drinks, like hot or iced tea or mocktails. Store your finished product in a sealed glass container in a cool dark place.
How to use infused sugar
Now for the fun part: using your infused sugar blends. Possible applications include:
Cocktails & mocktails – Garnish the rims of cocktail/mocktail glasses with infused sugars or roll cut fruit in colorful sugar blends and skewer on swizzle sticks. You might adorn this
Pomegranate-Ginger Mocktail with lavender or rose-infused sugar, or this
Sparkling Cherry-Lime Mocktail with basil-infused sugar. As to classic cocktails, try mint or rosemary-infused sugar in a traditional martini or ginger/cinnamon-infused sugar in this
Sour Appletini Collagen-Enhanced Craft Cocktail.
Simple syrup – You can also use flavored sugars as a base for simple syrup, which is often used in drinks, as it immediately blends in. To make, just simmer equal parts of your infused sugar of choice and water until the mixture is slightly thickened. Pretty herbal/floral syrups make beautiful gifts too!
Baked items – Any cake, tart, pie, cupcake or cookie is extra special with fun, artful sugar toppings, from spiced variations to botanical options like mint, lavender or rose-infused sugars. Have fun getting creative!
Berry bowls – Consider strawberries with rose or cinnamon sugar, blackberries with mint or nutmeg sugars, blueberries with ginger or rose sugar or a lovely, multi-berry mélange with lavender or hibiscus sugar.
Coffee & tea – Pretty sugar blends are a natural in coffee and hot teas of all types, as well as hot cocoa. Think of earthy spices for fall, and refreshing botanicals for spring, like lilac sugar on a
matcha latte. Feel free to be adventurous!
Pancakes, waffles & French toast – Most spiced sugars work well with these entrées, such as pumpkin pie and chai blends. For assorted fruit or berry toppings, floral sugars strike an elegant note. Garnish with fresh flowers!
Oatmeal, quinoa & other hot cereals – Spiced sugars are especially tasty with these breakfast items, such as cinnamon-curry or ginger-garam masala blends. Prepare your bowl with coconut milk for a symphony of flavors!
Smoothies & shakes – From chocolate and vanilla to pumpkin, Chai spice, or fruit-based concoctions, infused sugar blends are a fun, tasty touch. You might try cayenne-cinnamon sugar on a chocolate shake or crown a vanilla shake with gardenia-rose sugar.
Fruit-based & frozen desserts – Infused sugars make a classy adornment for a range of frozen treats, like
Raspberry-Coconut Sorbet,
Blueberry Banana Nice Cream with Nut Butter,
Lemon & Lavender Sorbet or
Açaí Berry Superfood Sorbet. Think mint, cinnamon, basil, rose or geranium-infused sugars for décor. Ooh la la!
Lovely gifts year round – Herbal, floral or spice-enhanced sugars make splendid gifts year round, packaged in small, inexpensive decorative jars from craft stores. You can easily make cute labels with cardstock paper, twine and a hole punch. Fun gift blends include rosemary-basil, lavender-mint, rose-thyme or ginger-chai.
If you feel inspired to experiment with these ideas, you might include kids as well, as it is a fun, imaginative craft. Mother’s Day gifts, anyone? Happy creating![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="174280" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1712793074298{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/wildly-organic-coconut-sugar"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="174279" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1712793097923{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/now-foods-organic-beet-sugar"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="174278" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1712793115461{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/just-date-organic-date-sugar"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
