Lilac Sugar

The lilacs are OUT!! Over the weekend, the lilacs bloomed and I've been enjoying the waft I get as I walk through the front door. I love these beautiful delicate flowers and their sweet floral smell. I always swoon when I see big market baskets overflowing with them. And I just found out they are EDIBLE! So, bring on all the lilac recipes.

I loved the idea of making lilac sugar partly because it looks so beautiful, but also because it's such a simple way to subtly infuse lilacs into any baking. You simply layer the lilacs blooms in between spoonfuls of sugar in a jar. (Tip: I learned you just want to use the blooms because the stems can be quite bitter.)

Lilac Sugar

3/4 granulated sugar

1/4 lilacs

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of sugar into the bottom of the jar, top the layer of sugar with a tablespoon of lilacs and continue layering until finished. Use as you would with regular sugar.

Now it's time to get creative with what you want to make with lilac sugar! I've seen so many ideas and recipes for lilac sugar cookies, lilac cocktails and scones . All of them sound amazing but I started simple by making lilac pancakes. This is my go to pancake recipe and I just swapped out regular sugar for the lilac sugar and added a few more lilac blooms for good measure! Instead of syrup, I tried making this lemon sauce (syrup) and the combination of lilac and lemon was heavenly!

Next on the docket is lilac simple syrup for some delicious cocktails for this weekend!!

I hope you're enjoying the new blooms popping up and the beautiful smell!