Lilac Sugar
Lilac sugar is an easy way to capture the scent and sweetness of spring. This simple treat turns fresh lilac blooms into something you can enjoy long after the flowers are gone. Make this simple sugar, and you can use it to bring a little seasonal charm to everyday recipes.
This sugar is lightly floral and adds just a hint of lilac flavor. Use it for stirring into your favorite hot tea. Or try sprinkling it over shortbread before baking.
Or use it for dipping fresh strawberries. You can even use it to rim glasses for springtime drinks. Sprinkle it or use it any way you like.
What Do You Need To Make Lilac Sugar?
To make lilac sugar, you don’t need any special tools or ingredients, just lilacs, sugar and a container to put it in. A quick rinse and a bit of patience while the flowers dry and impart their flvor is the hardest part.
- lilac flowers
- sugar
- jar or container to hold the finished sugar
- *optional* purple food color
If you would like your finished sugar to have a purple hue, add 1-2 drops of gel food color. Avoid using watery food color drops that can be purchased at the store; opt for gel dye or cake decorating gel colors instead.
Picking Lilacs
You can use any kind of lilacs you happen to grow. Pink, white, lavender/purple/lilac, or a combination of any you have available to use.
Don’t grow lilacs? Ask friends or family if you can pick their lilacs in exchange for a little jar of lilac sugar. If that doesn’t work, try asking in a buy nothing group on Facebook, just be sure to ask for shrubs that haven’t been sprayed with chemicals.
To Store Lilac Sugar
Store your lilac sugar in an airtight jar at room temperature. It will keep for several weeks, unlike vanilla sugar, which lasts for a long time. Be sure to use it before you lose it!
You can sift out the flowers once the scent infuses. Or you can leave them in until you’re ready to use the sugar. OR you can use the lilac sugar WITH the flowers in it.
Lilac Sugar
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Fresh lilac flowers
- 1 cup Sugar (any kind; I used organic cane sugar)
Instructions
- Pick fresh lilacs and rinse them gently with cool water
- Lay the lilacs on a towel to dry for 1–2 days
- In a clean jar or container, layer lilac flowers and sugar, starting and ending with sugar
- Cover and let sit for 1 day
- You can strain out the flowers and add fresh ones for a stronger flavor, or leave them in until you’re ready to use the sugar
