Make Your Own Adorable Sugar Cubes With One Special Kitchen Tool

There's just something about the plop of a sugar cube into a cup of coffee or tea that makes a sip feel infinitely fancier. You can even use them to amp up the effervescence in a flute of champagne or as part of the ritual preparation of a glass of absinthe. In any case, the sweet little formations of sucrose are unsung essentials for entertaining, whether you're hosting an afternoon tea party or serving a round of after-dinner cocktails. And when it comes to entertaining, aesthetics are everything, so why not start by upgrading the look (and taste) of your sugar cubes? While you can splurge on premade ones, creating your own — complete with custom colors, flavors, and shapes — is surprisingly easy. The only special kitchen tool you'll need is a silicone ice tray.

Silicone ice molds are a kitchen must-have. Not only do they have a range of uses, but they're also relatively affordable; you can find a wide selection of various shapes on Amazon for less than $20. Given the soft, flexible material, silicone trays are ideal for more than just ice — they're also great for popping out delicate bites like sugar cubes or even chocolate candy without risking the integrity of your creations. Hard plastic trays, on the other hand, can require some banging and coaxing to get each piece out, and it's unlikely they'll remain intact. Better still, the molds of a typical silicone ice tray should be the perfect size for sugar lumps.

Hearts, stars, seashells, snowflakes — the silicone mold options you can find online or in stores are practically endless. Once you've settled on your desired shape and acquired your tray, you can start crafting your sugar "cubes" using just two ingredients: sugar and water. For every cup of sugar you're working with, simply add a teaspoon of water, and mix until the granules feel clumpy like damp sand. You can do this either by hand or in a food processor. As you mix, you can also add in some food coloring to give your cubes a custom color.

There's even an option to blend in different flavorings to give them some extra oomph, from rose water to vanilla extract. Just note that any extra liquid component you incorporate should serve as a substitute for that amount of water. It may take some trial and error, but once your sugar reaches the right consistency, you can start tightly packing it into the molds of your tray. Then just leave them out overnight to dry, and the next day you'll have solid sugar shapes ready to serve at an afternoon tea worthy of the royals themselves. And thanks to the aforementioned softness and flexibility of the silicone tray, the extraction process should be a piece of (tea) cake.