These easy last-minute cookies are crisp and sugary outside. Look for coarse granulated sugar in your local bulk-food store.
Two sources of vanilla give these cookies a deep and complex vanilla taste. Put the scraped bean pods into your sugar canister to add flavourful notes to granulated sugar.
Vanilla bean and fragrant lemon zest give this buttery shortbread an incredible aroma. Once you've used the seeds, add the vanilla pod to a jar of granulated sugar to make gourmet vanilla sugar.
For the duck to be truly tender, it must be cooked medium-rare and sliced thinly. Instead of port, you can use 3/4 cup dry red wine and 2 tsp granulated sugar.
This recipe is from our new book, The Barbecue Collection. If you can't find kecap manis, boil together 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar, 1/3 cup (75 mL) soy sauce and 2 tbsp (30 mL) fancy molasses until sugar is dissolved.
The coarse sugar on these licorice-flavoured drops glistens like snowballs. Split the remaining vanilla bean half and place in airtight container with 1/2 cup granulated sugar. The vanilla will permeate the sugar. Use it to sprinkle on scones or cookies, or in your morning coffee.
This four-ingredient cookie couldn't be simpler. The vanilla bean gives a lovely hit of flavour without using extract, which is usually not kosher for Passover. The scraped bean pod can be added to a canister of granulated sugar to perfume it for all of your baking.
Making cream puffs is easier than you think. The dough comes together quickly on the stovetop, so be sure to have all of the ingredients ready before you start. For a splash of colour, you can garnish the wreath with fresh bay leaves and sugared cranberries (made by tossing fresh or frozen berries in egg white then granulated sugar).
First Prize in Rolled Cookie Category
Catherine Laframboise of Toronto loves the flavours of maple and walnut together and says they are even better dressed up in this recipe with buttercream and praline. If you can't find maple sugar, substitute 1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar and 1 tsp (5 mL) maple extract.
Similar to a schnitzel or cutlet, this easy dish is delicious served either hot or cold in a sandwich. Or you can serve it with steamed rice and a salad for a complete meal. If you can't find mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), you can substitute 1 tbsp (15 mL) each boiling water and granulated sugar.
