Vanilla Bean Sugar Cubes

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• 4 madagascar vanilla beans (can use tahitian, mexican, etc.)
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup pure vanilla extract (use madagascar if possible)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 275 degrees f.
• 2 cut the 4 vanilla beans into 1/2-inch pieces and grind to a coarse powder in a coffee grinder.
• 3 in a large bowl, mix the sugar, vanilla bean powder and extract until thoroughly combined (when the extract is completely incorporated the mixture will look a bit like dough). pour the sugar mixture into an 8 by 8-inch pan and spread out evenly to a 1/2-inch thickness. next, use a knife to score out 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch cubes by running the knife the length of the pan every 1/2-inch and the width of the pan every 1/2-inch. bake for 1 1/2 hours. remove the pan from oven and let cool. once cooled, carefully flip the pan over onto a large cookie sheet to remove the sugar. allow to cool completely, and then gently break into cubes along the scored lines.
• 4 to "round" the edges of the cubes gently pour them into a big pot with a cover and lightly shake. check and repeat if necessary. pour the cubes from the pot into a small holed colander or sifter and sift off any sugar particles that can be reserved as granulated vanilla bean sugar!
• 5 you could have fun and experiment with these using orange zest and extract, mint, maybe cinnamon extract for teas -- what endless possibilities!
• 6 enjoy!