If you're a longtime reader of this blog, you know we sometimes wax poetic about flavorings. In our humble opinion, many a good baked good can be ruined if the flavoring of something is off. Too strong a taste, it cancels everything out, too little a taste it leaves you feeling underwhelmed. It's what can make or break a baked good.
Vanilla, then, is the master flavor to us. Even if you've only ever baked chocolate chip cookies using the directions on the back of the package, you've used vanilla. Our sister (who claims her kitchen is her 'walk-in closet') even owns vanilla. That she purchased on her own, at the grocery store.
The problems casual bakers have, though, is there are too many vanilla options anymore. Which one do you use? The paste, the extract, the imitation, the seeds?? What started as a quest to just make some chocolate chip cookies to go along with the chick flick you're about to dive into has turned into a colossal headache in front of the spice rack.
We feel your pain. And we're here to help.
We own just about everything in the world vanilla-wise. No, seriously. We're going to break it down for you in an easy-to-understand guide right now. So that next time, you won't have to stress about which vanilla to use. You will look like a vanilla guru because you'll already know.
1. Imitation Vanilla
Imitation Vanilla is what you owned in college when you had to bake something for that bake sale your favorite club was holding but still had to make rent that month. It's cheap, especially when you see the list price as $2.99 and the pure vanilla extract at $5.59. Heck yes, imitation vanilla all the way!
When to Use It: We use imitation vanilla sometimes, and don't want you to think it's a cop out. In certain situations, it's not. Here's our rule of thumb for vanilla: if it's not one of the main flavors you should be tasting, then use the imitation. Vanilla enhances the flavors in products, makes them pack a punch in your mouth. If your chocolate cake recipe calls for some vanilla to be added to the mixture, the writers of your recipe didn't lose their minds -- the vanilla is there to make the chocolate taste punch. But, since you want to taste the chocolate in the cake, use the imitation vanilla in this situation. Half the cost, same effect.
2. Pure Vanilla Extract
All of your grandmothers had this stuff floating around in their kitchens like it was milk. You'd ask for vanilla, they'd head to the pantry and return with 12 of these bottles, because they were on sale, and who doesn't want 12 bottles of pure vanilla extract??
Vanilla extract can run from your supermarket off-brands to bottles full of "Tahitian Pure Vanilla". That's code for liquid gold, pretty much. Yes there's a taste difference between the Shop-N-Save Pure Vanilla and Tahitian Pure Vanilla, but there's also a price difference. Generic pure vanilla will run you $7 for 4 oz. on a bad day. Tahitian Pure Vanilla is $15 for that same 4 oz.
When to Use It: If you don't have vanilla bean paste (see below), use this whenever you're baking something where vanilla is the main flavor you want to come through. Vanilla cake, blondie brownies, even chocolate chip cookies. And whenever you're making icing!
3. Vanilla Bean Paste
Ahhh, have we ever told you of our love for vanilla bean paste? We LOVE vanilla bean paste. It is the nectar of the gods, we swear. Vanilla bean paste can be used measurement for measurement the same as vanilla extract. Vanilla bean paste, though, is thicker, like a syrup, and full of actual vanilla beans. When you make something with vanilla bean paste, you'll be able to see the beans in whatever you bake.
This stuff is expensive too (the 4oz. bottle above was $13), but my oh my we cannot recommend this stuff enough. Once you switch over to this, you'll never go back to vanilla extract.
When to Use It: Whenever you want to die and go to vanilla heaven. Anything where you want the vanilla to shine through, that's when you should be using this stuff. And it tastes amazing in a vanilla buttercream icing. Trust us on this. No, don't trust us, go make some right now!!
4. Real Vanilla Beans
Where it all begins...getting back to the roots of nature with an actual vanilla bean. If you've never worked with an actual vanilla bean before, have some patience, and buy an extra one just in case. It takes a lot of patience to split it open and scrape out the seeds inside. The result, though is fantastic -- vanilla in its purest form, the way it was meant for all of us to enjoy.
When to Use It:
You can mix in a real vanilla bean seeds any time a recipe calls for vanilla (along with some vanilla extract, to help it mix throughout). One of our favorite things to do with a vanilla bean is to make vanilla sugar. Find an air tight container, fill it with sugar (both white and raw will work), split open a bean and nestle it deep into the sugar. Let it sit for a long time. Long time as in you forgot you even put that container up on that high shelf until it's time to make Christmas cookies and you're looking for your gingerbread cookie cutter long time. The vanilla will seep into the sugar and you'll have some wonderful vanilla sugar for baking with. Or for coffee. Yum, vanilla sugar in coffee is amazing!
So there you go. You feel like such an expert now, right??? You're welcome!!
