Vanilla Extract
Real vanilla extract, made from just beans, water, sugar, and cane alcohol. Nothing fake, nothing extra, and the difference in a baked good is obvious.
What It Is
Vanilla extract is made by soaking cured vanilla beans in alcohol and water until the flavor compounds dissolve into the liquid. The beans come from orchids, originally native to Mexico, now grown in tropical regions around the world. Most commercial extracts cut corners with synthetic vanillin. This one does not. Sugar cane alcohol carries the flavor cleanly, and a small amount of organic sugar rounds out the taste without masking it.
The strength and color of real extract can vary slightly from batch to batch depending on the beans. That is normal, and it is one of the things that makes it taste like something.
What To Do
Use it anywhere vanilla is called for: cakes, cookies, muffins, custards, whipped cream. The standard measure is one teaspoon per batch of most baked goods, but you can go up to a tablespoon in something where vanilla is the star, like a simple shortbread or a pound cake. Add it after any heat step if you can; high heat drives off some of the aroma.
It also works stirred into oatmeal, coffee, or milk of choice. Store it at room temperature, away from direct light, and it will keep for years without losing much.
