Sugar cubes are easy enough to make if you've got the right things, honestly. But most people don't realize their ease, and on top of that these are not your run of the mill sugar cubes. The flavors above are pumpkin spice, spicy, salted caramel hot chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon sugar. I made these because I have distinct memories of my great-grandmother always having some available on her coffee table for visitors. They were the generic cubes, yet the flavors were anything but and these that I made are the ones I remember her having that I enjoyed because she also sometimes had peppermint, coconut and almond ones flavored with their respective extracts instead of vanilla. I hope they will also inspire other people to make their own versions, and believe me if you have frequent guests and serve coffee or tea and they might like some sugar these make a seriously wonderful and impactful display.
You'll Need The Following;
- Some sugar - white or brown, but keep it granulated since powdered sugar really doesn't do well in these
- Extras for flavor - sprinkles, dry spices, whatever you like
- Some liquid - extracts work for extra flavor, but if it's got enough of that just water will do and remember that any food coloring counts for liquid too and the more you put in the longer it will take to dry
- Silicone molds - you can get these cheap in the aftermath of holidays, the heart shaped ones were like $2 for the pair
I know the measurements are inexact, but how much you need will depend on the size of your molds so I'll explain this during the process.
First things first, take your silicone mold and pack all but 2 of the cavities full of sugar. Pack the remaining pair full of whatever other dry additives you're using such as the following that I used for the flavors mentioned above;
- pumpkin spice
- dried chili powder or other spicy things
- finely chopped chocolate
- cinnamon
Then empty the mold into a bowl that's big enough to not spill it everywhere and mix it well like the picture above which is just the regular vanilla ones I made with white sugar and sprinkles.
Next mix in your liquids. For the pictured one I used vanilla extract and some yellow food coloring. The salted caramel hot chocolate had vanilla as well, the others just had water. And the spicy was the only other one with food coloring, the dark spots are actually gel food coloring that I put in there knowing it wouldn't dissipate and would make spots like that to add a sort of marbled texture. As I said other extracts can be used, just watch they're not too strong.
You really only need enough liquid to make the mixture slightly damp, and the more liquid there is the longer drying time they'll need.
Now pack that mixture tightly into the silicone molds. Use your hands, really press it down. Then put them in a cool, dry place for about 12 hours. I highly recommend the fridge if you've got space, but if not just making sure they can be set in a place they won't be disturbed and won't get exposed to a crazy amount of moisture in the air works just as well.
Once they've had time to dry turn your sugar bits out into a flat, dry surface like a plate or cookie sheet. Stick them back to dry for another ~12 hours and you're done!
I make these for myself because I drink a lot of tea in the cold months and drink a lot of coffee normally, but these also make great gifts for friends and family - I've made a heck of a lot for little Christmas gifts and things like that, they're super cute when presented in glass jars with ribbons and the like. And if you're like my great-grandmother and have a lot of guests and want to have them out, a little bowl to put them in and leave them where you'll be serving the tea/coffee so guests can get their own can make you look so fancy if that's a thing you want.
Like I said, feel free to use your own combinations based on flavor preferences and the like. Experimentation is a wonderful thing :D
All pictures here were taken by me specifically for this post. I have been a home cook for over a decade, and any questions or comments about this recipe are encouraged!