One of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving and Christmas is holiday baking, I just love to bake. Whether it’s cookies, candies, pies or cakes I love to make it all. Every year I try and come up with something different and unique to go along with something more traditional. I normally bring 1-2 pies for Thanksgiving dinner and then a huge assortment of candies, cookies and other treats for Christmas. One ingredient that I always make sure I have on hand during this baking season is Vanilla. But I will be honest with you, up until a few weeks ago I only used the..gasp…artificial vanilla. I know, shame on me, but I didn’t really know that there was much of a difference between the artificial brands and the pure vanilla extract like Nielsen-Massey Vanilla, boy was I wrong.
Nielsen-Massey has been producing vanilla products for over a century. They pride themselves on making the best tasting vanilla by using a proprietary cold extraction process instead of heat extraction. By using this process they are able to gently extract the vanilla’s essential oils, thereby preserving the more than 300 distinct flavor compounds present in the beans. This process takes longer than the heating method but it’s essential to being able to provide the best tasting vanilla flavors.
I received a variety of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas to try out and it didn’t take me long to start using them. I decided to try out one of my favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipes. I stayed true to the recipe but the only thing I did differently was use the Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla extract instead of the artificial. The cookies came out perfect and I am happy to say they tasted GREAT! I was shocked to see what a difference in taste in can make by using a good quality vanilla. I am so excited to have these vanilla flavors as well as the peppermint and chocolate extract for the holidays, I can’t wait to start baking!
For more information on Nielsen-Massey Vanillas products and recipes and to purchase your own products be sure to visit them online at http://www.nielsenmassey.com/
Win It! One lucky reader is going to win a set of Nielsen-Massey Vanilla’s which include:
2 oz Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 oz Pure Peppermint Extract
2 oz Pure Chocolate Extract
2 oz Pure Almond Extract
A Century of Flavor Book
To Enter: Follow the instructions below using Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
* I received the products mentioned above in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% honest and my own.