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selbstgemachter Fliederzucker in einem Marmeladenglas neben Fliederblüten Dolden

How to make Lilac Sugar

Learn how to make lilac sugar at home! The best way to preserve these gorgeous edible flowers for the entire year and blossom sugar makes for such a great gift!
Course condiment, Dessert, diy
Cuisine European
Keyword lilac recipes, lilac sugar recipe, preserving edible flowers
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 1 jar
Calories 600 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3/4 Cup White Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Lilac Blossoms - about 2 big flowers - pick them in your garden or somewhere far away from roads and traffic
  • 1 small glass jar

Instructions

  1. Gather the lilac. Choose vibrant lilac blooms that have just opened and that aren't yet turning brown.DO NOT WASH THE FLOWERS.

  2. Remove single flowers from the branch and pluck them one by one into a small bowl.

  3. Place a couple of tablespoons of sugar in the bottom of a jar.

  4. Layer about a heaping tablespoon of lilac blossoms on top of the sugar.

  5. Repeat the layers, ending with sugar as the top layer.

  6. Seal! Put a lid on the jar and shake the contents. Repeat the shake once more that same day and store the sugar for 24 hours in a dark cool place.

    The sugar should already be nicely infused with beautiful flavor after 24 hours. UPDATE: I used to let the sugar infuse for several days up to a week, shaking the jar once a day. It works 3 times out of four. However, some batches got a weird taste. I did some more testing, and found that keeping the flowers in the sugar for longer than 3-4 days sometimes gives the sugar an off taste from the flowers losing their vigor. So now,I remove the flowers after 24 hours of infusing And store the sugar.

    You can gently shake it or stir through the sugar with a spoon to break up the clumps.

    It's super important to store the sugar in a dark cool place.

Recipe Notes

  • The stems and leaves of lilacs tend to be tough and bitter. Use only the blossoms to make lilac sugar.
  • I recommend you shake the jar of homemade lilac sugar at least once a day every day for 5 days or up to a week. That way you prevent your jar of sugar to become one solid mass as the sugar pulls the moisture from the lilac blossoms.
  • After the lilac blossoms dry (which usually takes a week), they are preserved and candied. At this point, you could strain those pretty flowers from the sugar by pressing it all through a fine-mesh sieve. However, I like to leave the blossoms in the sugar for a fun bit of color!
  • Store the sugar in a cool dark spot. 
  • The blossoms do often turn brownish after a while, they just give up their color but it’s not bad per se.
  • Choose vibrant lilac blooms that have just opened and that aren't yet turning brown. A few unopened buds are no problem. Do this in early spring! You will get the best flavor from sprigs that have just bloomed.

Lilac Lemonade: 

  • Lemons (5) Enough to make 3/4 cups of juice plus enough for garnish and slices
  • 3/4 cups of lilac sugar (recipe above)
  • 4 1/2 cups of water
  • Ice Cubes ( I like freezing some lilac flowers in the ice cubes)
  •  1 bulb fresh lilac sprig ( blossoms)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cut your lemons in half and juice them with a citrus juicer. 
  2. Remove the seeds and pulp from your juice with a fine-mesh sieve. Refrigerate.
  3. Soak your fresh Lilac sprigs in cold water for a minimum of 2 hours to overnight.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of water to the lilac sugar and heat to dissolve until the sugar is well incorporated. Remove from the heat and refrigerate.
  5. Slice a lemon into medallions and add it to your pitcher.
  6. Add your lilac, lemon juice, lilac "syrup", and 3 1/2 cups of water and stir.