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    Home » Baking ingredients

    Published on: February 2, 2021 by Janice; Updated on: February 23, 2022 Leave a Comment

    How to make lemon sugar

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    Rubbing lemon zest into granulated sugar with fingertips in a bowl to make lemon sugar.

    Made from granulated sugar and lemon zest, lemon sugar is a great way to give baked goods a better lemon flavour than with lemon juice.

    Making lemon sugar in a bowl by rubbing together granulated sugar and lemon zest with fingertips.
    Jump to:
    • How do you make it
    • What to do with it
    • 📖 Recipe

    How do you make it

    Lemon sugar is so easy to make. All you have to do is rub together granulated sugar with the zest of a lemon (or two). Use your finger tips to rub the two ingredients together to damage the cells of the lemon zest, releasing their natural citrus oils and infusing the sugar.

    Ingredients to make lemon sugar at home.

    You can also do this with any other citrus fruit, whether that's orange, lime, grapefruit, or even bergamot!

    Regardless of the citrus fruit you choose, make sure to:

    • wash and dry the citrus fruit well, removing any stickers or dirt, before using
    • use a microplane to remove only the outer layer of the zest, leaving behind the light coloured, white pith that is very bitter and not tasty
    Rubbing together lemon zest and sugar with fingertips to make lemon sugar.

    What to do with it

    The beauty of lemon sugar is that it allows you to add tons of lemon flavour to recipes without adding excess moisture. Replace granulated sugar in any cake or cookie recipe with lemon sugar, and you will add lemon flavour without throwing off the ratio of liquid-to-dry ingredients and without throwing off the pH of the recipe. I used lemon sugar to flavour these cranberry lemon muffins.

    Rubbing together lemon zest and sugar to make lemon sugar in a small bowl.

    Another great use for lemon sugar is as a finishing ingredient. For example, you can sprinkle them on crêpes before folding them up to serve them. This is a traditional way of serving crêpes in France and parts of Europe, actually. This adds a ton of flavour to crêpes, but still leaves room for serving with maple syrup, honey, or even crème anglaise or a caramel sauce.

    A bowl of freshly made lemon sugar near a small pinch bowl that has a few leftover strands of lemon zest.

    One thing to note is that lemon sugar won't add that tart acidity that many expect from lemon-flavoured baked goods. Neither will lemon oil or lemon extract for that matter.

    If you are looking to bring a bright acidic note to your dessert, whether that's a cookie, a cake, or even a muffin, it's best to top the dessert with a lemon sauce or a lemon glaze made from fresh lemon juice, which allows you to finish with a bright, tart icing that will provide a punch of flavour.

    📖 Recipe

    Rubbing lemon zest into granulated sugar in a bowl to make lemon sugar.
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    Lemon sugar

    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Lemon sugar is so easy to make with this recipe and you can use it to flavour baked goods, like cakes, cookies, and muffins, but also as a filling for crêpes!
    Course pantry staple
    Cuisine French
    Keyword lemon sugar
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes
    Servings 16
    Calories 49kcal
    Author Janice

    Equipment

    microplane

    Ingredients

    For the muffin batter

    • 200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
    • 30 mL (2 tablespoon) finely grated lemon zest

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and lemon zest. Using your fingertips, rub the ingredients together. This will help bring out the oils in the zest, adding more flavour.
    • Store lemon sugar in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 3mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

    More Baking ingredients

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    • How to make vanilla extract
    • How to make vanilla sugar
    • Sugar in baking
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