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You’ve probably heard of putting a vanilla bean pod in a container of sugar to create a vanilla-scented and flavoured sugar. Well, basically you can do the same thing with essential oils. Let’s learn about how to make essential oil infused sugars and what to do with them.

Table of Contents

Consuming essential oils

One of the first things to check is that the essential oil you are using clearly states it is safe for consumption. Not all oils will be – some of the more budget-friendly ranges will tend to be ideal for diffusers or blends but not to eat. More expensive ranges will be safer but always ensure the oil specifically says it is safe to eat before using in these recipes.

Think no more than one drop of essential oil per serving. Don’t be overly generous, too much essential oil can cause problems.

How to make the infused sugar

These sugars make delightful budget-friendly gifts for the holidays.

What you need:

1/2 cup of granulated sugar per recipe
Essential oils (food grade suitable)
1-pint glass jar with lid
Fabric, tag and ribbon to decorate

The trick here is to add one to three drops of the essential oil to 1/4 cup of sugar at a time. Mash the oil into the sugar with the back of a spoon. Stir well to blend.

Then treat another ¼ cup of sugar in the same bowl with a few more drops of essential oil. That way the oil is distributed throughout the sugar. As the sugar ages, the scent becomes more intense.

Package the sugar in pint glass jars. Place a holiday-themed circle of fabric over the lid and tie it on with a bright ribbon. Add a tag or label that says what the sugar is infused with and how to use it.

Examples of essential oil infused sugars

Citrus sugar – lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange essential oils.
Cookie spice sugar – cinnamon, nutmeg and clove essential oils. Add a few drops of vanilla extract if you like.
Peppermint sugar – peppermint essential oil.
Orange vanilla sugar – orange essential oil, clear vanilla extract and the zest of one orange.

It’s a nice touch to add a bit of the original fruit or flower to the jar. For example, dried lemon slices to the citrus sugar. Press the slice against the side of the glass jar as you fill it with sugar so the slices remain visible.

Use cinnamon sticks with the Cookie spice sugar and small round peppermints or a mini candy cane with the peppermint sugar.

How to use the infused sugar

Use the sugar in baking, to sweeten tea or to top cookies, cakes and sweet bread.

Try peppermint infused sugar in black tea and cocoa or citrus sugar in tea, salad dressings and cold drinks.

Orange vanilla sugar is ideal in a hot or iced tea to add flavour and also works on baking recipes like sugar cookies or sweet breads. You could even try it with sweet potatoes or any vegetable that orange flavour works well with.

Another alternative is to package three different sugars in smaller jars and present the three as a gift with a few recipe cards. Use your favourite sugar cookie recipe, substituting the infused sugar for the plain sugar.

Package the citrus sugar with eight or so black tea bags and include two tea mugs as part of the gift.