At the condiment bar of Starbucks and other similar barista coffee shops you'll usually find sweet vanilla powder in shaker bottles along with cinnamon, chocolate powder, and sweeteners. Vanilla powder adds sweet vanilla flavor to hot and cold beverages. (NOTE: Vanilla powder is also called vanilla sugar.)

Today I'm sharing how easy it is to make your own vanilla powder with just 2 ingredients: granulated sugar and good quality pure vanilla extract. It takes just a few minutes of hands-on time, but there is a 6-8 hour wait time. So, plan ahead.

There's another method for making vanilla sugar powder that takes 1-2 weeks and uses vanilla beans. It works well, if you have the time and money. (Vanilla beans are crazy expensive!) You can check out Alton Brown's recipe using this longer method. 

My easier/faster/cheaper method gets great results. Honestly, I don't think you could tell the difference between the 2 methods in a blind taste test. So, easier/faster/cheaper gets my vote!

By the way, you can purchase vanilla sugar powder. But it's pricey. That's why I like to make my own.  view on Amazon:  vanilla sugar powder

Great for gifts. I've made some labels you can add to jars or bottles of homemade vanilla powder. The labels add a finishing touch and make them ready to have on hand for gifts for coffee and tea lovers. Look for my printable labels further down in the post.

Step-by-step photos for making
Vanilla Powder

Step 1. Assemble the ingredients:

• granulated sugar
• good quality pure vanilla extract (I'm using a Costco brand. I also like Penzey's vanilla. Simply Organic Vanilla is another good choice.

view on Amazon:  Simply Organic vanilla extract (highly rated by Cook's Illustrated test kitchen)

Step 2. Add sugar to a bowl and pour in the vanilla. Stir until uniformly mixed into a coarse, thick consistency. (NOTE: Adding more vanilla isn't recommended. If you add too much liquid the sugar may begin to dissolve; you want it to maintain a course, granulated texture.

Step 3. Line a baking sheet (mine is 9x13) with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Dump mixture onto tray and spread into a thin even layer. Let it air dry for 6-8 hours until completely dry. 

view on Amazon:

• Quarter sheet pan-9x13 - It comes with a lid for convenient storage.
• Silicone mats - These are non-stick for easy-release and can be used in place of parchment paper. This set of 3 mats fits perfectly in half and quarter sheet pans, and they cost less than one similar Silpat mat. The smaller one fits perfectly in my 9x13 pan. I throw them in my diswasher for easy clean up.

Step 4. Stir mixture every 2 or 3 hours to promote faster drying. It's normal for the dried mixture to have clumps when stirred. 

Step 5. When completely dry, transfer mixture to a blender or food processor and pulse until mixture is a fine powder. I use a mini food processor (one of my favorite and most-used kitchen gadgets). It only takes a few seconds of processing.

view on Amazon:  mini food processor 

Step 6. Transfer mixture to a small jar or shaker bottle. 

view on Amazon:  small spice shaker bottles, 4-oz Mason Jars

To use this tasty powder, simply shake from a shaker bottle or stir in a spoonful to your coffee or tea. Adjust the amount to suit your taste.

A gift for coffee and tea lovers!  Pour vanilla powder into a small jar or shaker bottle, label it, and you've got a homemade, useful gift to give. I think these make ideal host/hostess gifts. When you want to take a little something along to someone's house but you don't want to go too overboard, a little jar of homemade vanilla powder is just the thing.

• Shaker spice bottles are convenient for sprinkling a little bit of vanilla powder into coffee or tea. view on Amazon:  small spice shaker bottles
• Mason jars are a good choice, too. The 4 oz. size is just right for keeping vanilla powder handy by the coffee/tea supplies. view on Amazon:  4-oz Mason Jars,   Plastic Lids for Jars (durable and easy to screw on and off)
• Small spice jars. They're clear, so you can see the contents, easy to open and close, and they have an airtight gasket seal. view on Amazon:  4 oz. spice jars (with airtight lids)

Download printable jar labels/tags. 

• Print these on card stock, cut them out, punch a hole in the top, and hang them from the jar neck with a ribbon, string, or rubber band. OR
• Print them on sticker paper and stick them to the jar or lid. Or, print them on regular paper and stick them on with tape. If you don't have a printer or specialty papers, you can have a store with printing services download and print them for you (Kinkos, Office Depot, Staples, etc.)

Click on the image below to download & print a full sheet of labels/tags. There are 2 sizes of labels on each sheet to accommodate different jar sizes.

Cut with scissors or a circle punch. You can cut the round tags out carefully with scissors, or use a circle punch to make the task easier and more precise. The circle punches come in several sizes to accommodate different jar and bottle lids. 

view on Amazon:  

• 1-1/2" circle punch (this fits the lids of shaker bottles and smaller spice bottles)
• 2-1/4" circle punch (this fits mason jar lids)

You can check out my other mason jar mixes in my recipe index. They all make great gifts and have printable tags.

I don't normally add sweeteners to my coffee or lattes, but a few shakes of this vanilla sugar adds just a hint of sweetness that I love. Yum.

Make it a Yummy day!

Monica

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Vanilla Powder

By Monica              Servings: makes 1+ cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions

In small bowl, combine sugar and vanilla; stir to form thick, uniform, coarse paste. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Transfer sugar/vanilla mixture to baking sheet and spread into thin, even layer. Allow to set out until completely dry, 6-8 hours. Stir it half way through drying time to promote faster drying. It's normal for there to be small dried clumps.

Transfer dried mixture to blender or food processor; pulse until all clumps are gone and texture is a fine powder.

Store in jar, shaker bottles, or other airtight container.

If after storage vanilla powder begins to clump, shake in jar/bottle, or break apart and stir with fork. Large quantities can be returned to blender or food processor to restore powder consistency.

Stir into coffee, tea, or lattes. Makes a great gift.

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