Scented Sugar For Holiday Baking {or gift-giving!}

Christmas baking time is here! This is the time of year that we can go through a lot of sugar, extracts, oils, and other ingredients. It's also the time of year that I love to get creative with those ingredients. (Check out how to make your own extracts for holiday baking here.) Making scented sugar for holiday baking is not only fun, but it also adds a new dimension of flavor to cookies, pies, and other goodies. Scented sugars also make terrific hostess or teacher gifts. My neighbor absolutely loves when I give her a new batch to bake with each year.

How To Make Scented Sugar For Holiday Baking

The basic formula is

• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup "scent" (such as vanilla or herbs)

The mixture need only sit for 1 week before use. You will also leave the herbs IN the sugar as you use it. Sometimes, that means that your recipe will get an extra "boost" of flavor. That's always a good thing, right? So let's make 4 scented sugars to take your holiday baking up a notch!

Vanilla Sugar

Pour 1 cup coconut sugar into a quart-size jar. Slice 3 vanilla beans carefully down the middle and scrape out the inside of the bean. Add what you scrape out to the sugar and cover with 1 additional cup of coconut sugar. Add the empty bean shells to the top of the sugar. Gently shake to mix. Use in any recipe that calls for both sugar and vanilla extract. It can replace both in the recipe. Vanilla sugar is also perfect for hot chocolate mixes. And it will really take your cup of coffee or hot tea to the next level.

Mint Sugar

Pour 1-1/2 cups of Wildly Organic coconut sugar into a quart-size jar. Add 1/4 cup of dried organic peppermint. Top with another 1/2 cup of coconut sugar. Gently shake to mix. (Only use dried mint here, not fresh. Otherwise, the water in the mint will make the sugar rock hard.) For a sweet-savory use, add this to a spice rub for lamb or chicken. Mint sugar works in sweet recipes too. Use in place of regular sugar to flavor cookies and frosting, or in homemade hard candies.

Lavender Sugar

Pour 1-1/2 cups coconut sugar into a quart-size jar. Add 1/4 cup of dried lavender. Top with another 1/2 cup of coconut sugar. Gently shake to mix. Use this to sweeten a relaxing tea. Or give cookies and flavored frostings a unique flavor.

Chamomile Sugar

In a quart mason jar, add 1 1/2 cups of coconut sugar. Add 1/4 cup of dried chamomile. Top with another 1/2 cup of coconut sugar. Gently shake to mix. Use in cookies, cakes, and herbal tea. Making scented sugar for holiday baking or gift-giving is fun and easy! Once you get started, there is almost no flavor combination you can't try.

Have you ever made scented sugar before? Which one would you start with first?