The European Staple That Makes The Best Sugar Cookies

It's no secret that European shoppers have access to many delicious goods that are not available in the United States, from incredible European potato chips to the most luxurious types of butter. One common European baking staple that remains largely unknown and unavailable stateside is vanilla sugar. 

Vanilla sugar is popular across Europe, especially in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (countries that are, perhaps not coincidentally, famous for their excellent pastries and desserts). The aromatic sugar features in many traditional recipes like vanillekipferl, crumbly crescent-shaped cookies that are dusted with vanilla sugar. Classic American sugar cookies can also benefit from a dusting of vanilla sugar — it adds a subtle flavor that really transforms these cookies without taking away from their simple nature. 

Bakers love vanilla sugar because it's relatively cheap (especially compared to real vanilla extract which is very expensive), and, perhaps most importantly, it doesn't change the consistency of baked goods like adding liquid vanilla flavorings can. As such, vanilla sugar is one of the best ways to add a hint of vanilla flavor to recipes like sugar cookies without negatively impacting the dish's beloved texture.

Both artificial versions of vanilla sugar and more expensive varieties infused with real vanilla beans are widely available across Europe. However, vanilla sugar remains relatively obscure and difficult to find in the United States. The good news is that making your own vanilla sugar at home is incredibly easy — just fill a jar with sugar, add the scraped out seeds of a vanilla bean (you can toss in the empty pod as well), mix it up, and let it infuse for a couple of weeks. 

If you are making the vanilla sugar to exclusively dust over the sugar cookies, using powdered sugar is best. But, if you want to use the vanilla sugar to make the cookie dough itself, you must infuse granulated sugar; powdered sugar should not be used to make sugar cookie dough.

While vanilla sugar is best used in baked goods where it plays a supporting role — think pound cake and sugar cookies — it also makes a lovely topping for cereal or fruit (as well as anything else you would sprinkle regular sugar on). You can also stir it into coffee or tea, or use it as a one-to-one substitute for plain old sugar in any recipe where you fancy an extra touch of vanilla.