Vanilla flavoured sugar gets confused with two other things it isn't: plain "vanilla sugar" (sugar stored with a vanilla pod, which picks up a faint scent but little real flavour) and vanilla extract stirred into sugar as a DIY fix. Proper vanilla flavoured sugar is made differently, with a concentrated vanilla flavouring worked through the sugar base until every crystal carries it.
What makes a good one
Two things separate a serious vanilla flavoured sugar from a novelty one:
- The base. Demerara or golden sugar carries vanilla's warmth better than white sugar, which reads flat by comparison.
- The vanilla source. Real vanilla bean gives a rounder, more complex flavour than synthetic vanillin, which tends to taste one-note and slightly sharp.
How to use vanilla flavoured sugar
- Coffee. A teaspoon stirred into a flat white or Americano does the job of a vanilla syrup pump without the bottle.
- Baking. Swap it 1:1 for sugar in a recipe that also calls for vanilla extract, and you can often drop the extract altogether.
- Whipped cream. Whisk it in instead of icing sugar and vanilla extract separately.
- Porridge and yoghurt. A spoon on top does more work than plain sugar and a splash of vanilla.
- Cocktails. Works well in anything built around bourbon, rum or dark spirits, either rimmed or dissolved into a shaker.
Our version
Dirty Vanilla is built on a demerara base with vanilla bean and a bourbon note, positioned specifically for coffee but equally at home in baking. Hand-packed in London in 100g pouches, with a 5-pack available for anyone using it daily.
