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This aromatic spiced sugar blend is great to sprinkle over oatmeal, into coffee or tea, or wherever you see fit. Makes a lovely homemade gift.
Why we love this recipe
It’s almost embarrassing how easy it is to whip up a batch of spiced sugar. But as you’ll quickly realize, just because something is easy doesn’t mean it isn’t spectacular. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Everybody loves this little gem of a recipe. It’s:
- Made with a cozy, aromatic blend of warming spices
- Super-versatile in the kitchen
- Long-lasting (at least in theory)
- Eminently scalable — make a little or a lot
- Equally great to hoard or share
It makes an excellent, inexpensive homemade gift for the holidays or any time you want to give a little something.
I first published this recipe here back in 2015. I’ve since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Good old granulated sugar forms the base of this recipe. You don’t need anything special unless you’ll be serving or giving gifts to vegans. In that case, be sure to look for a vegan-friendly brand of sugar, which uses a different processing method.
- Whole vanilla beans can be a little bit pricey, but there’s no substitute for the incredible flavor that their seeds impart. The recipe calls for just the seeds, which you’ll scrape out of the pod with the tip of a knife. But you can also nestle the pod itself into your storage container to add even more vanilla flavor.
- A balanced ratio of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom creates the perfect cozy vibe.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make a gorgeous batch of spiced sugar. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Place the sugar into a mixing bowl.
- Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add them to the sugar. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Mix well.
- If there are any lumps, you can pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
Yes! You can find full instructions for giving diminutive little pots of spiced sugar as homemade gifts right here.
Absolutely. As long as you use fresh ingredients and store it in an airtight container, this recipe will keep well for a year.
More favorite easy homemade gifts
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Spiced Sugar Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds 1(360 grams) sugar (about 7 cups)
- 2 whole vanilla beans
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Pour the sugar into in a large bowl.
- Split the vanilla beans lengthwise with a small, sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the bowl.
- Sprinkle in the cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg.
- Stir well to distribute all the spices evenly.
- If there are any clumps, break them up and pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Divide spiced sugar among 12 small jars such as these wide-mouth half pint jars — about 6 heaping tablespoons per jar plus a little extra for good luck.
Notes
- If you're serving or giving to vegans, be sure to buy a vegan-friendly brand of sugar, which is processed differently.
- After scraping out the seeds, you can tuck the whole vanilla pod right into the mixture if you like, for extra flavor. I don't tend to do this when gifting, but it's a good call at home.
- This recipe keeps well in an airtight container at room temperature for a year.
- To make a small batch (about a cup), use the following ratios: 1 cup (200 grams) sugar, seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, and 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- To package your gifts, learn more right here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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