Handmade Holiday: Herb-Infused Sugars

My sister brought me back a bag of lavender sugar from her trip to France last summer. It was so much fun to cook with -- it made my old tried and true recipes seem fresh and exciting again. We used it in as much as we could -- in lemonade, shortbreads, sugar cookies -- and even experimented with a lavender-sugar caramel.

I enjoyed my present so much that I thought it would be a good thing to try to DIY for our own handmade holiday. (The sugar my sister gave me was handmade by monks who have been making it since the 1500s or so, but I refused to be daunted.)

We ended up making three different batches of flavored sugar to give as gifts this holiday season: rosemary, lemon, and lavender. Here's how we did it.
















1. Gather your desired herbs and rinse, let dry (It's definitely best to use fresh herbs for this!) For lemon sugar, peel the fruit and lay the peel aside in a warm place to dry for a day or two, otherwise the moisture in it will make your sugar clumpy. When the peel feels dry to the touch, cut a few notches in it with scissors and you're ready to go.

2. Fill a clean small jar with a layer of herbs. Then add a thick layer of sugar. Repeat until the jar is filled. Use more herbs for a stronger flavor and less for a lighter one.

3. Let stand for 3-4 weeks, shaking and turning daily so that the flavor can be distributed throughout the jar (Anouk was a big help for this step). Test every week or so, until the flavor is as strong as you want it.

4. Strain the sugar through a sieve to remove the herbs and/or peel. If you like, you can leave a few small springs for festivity's sake. Pour back into the jar and tie with baker's twine or ribbon. Include a handwritten recipe for something to use the sugar in if you like or a small box of tea to use the sugar with.

I think the thing I like best about this -- besides the fact that it's so quick and inexpensive to make --  is that it's a grownup friendly DIY gift that little hands can put together almost all by themselves. Next I'd like to experiment with combining some of these flavors -- rosemary and lemon, lavender and orange peel. (And then I'd like to experiment eating some delicacies made with them).

Have you ever cooked/baked with flavored sugar? What did you make?

Have a great weekend!