Thursday, February 17, 2011

A teaspoon of vanilla

Don’t you love it when you have an excuse to bake? I often bake whenever I feel the desire to, but then I am always left making up excuses in my head, such as I will give it away as a treat or I had a bad day and deserve these cupcakes. However, a tried and true excuse for baking in the kitchen is always experimentation. What if I try this recipe with different flour, or try it with a little less butter? These are questions I always ask myself. This weekend my goal was just to experiment with new recipes. I rarely make brownies, so the brown butter brownies on the cover of Bon Appétit were calling my name. I was also going to try a new sugar cookie recipe (a classic that never gets old). While I thought that would be my experimentation for the weekend, I came across a new idea that would revolutionize all of my future baking.


I have viewed a lot of recipes for cookies, cakes and more over the years. I tend to have a problem of sitting and going through an entire cookbook, even if I never bake anything from it. Just reading about so many good ideas, gets me excited. Before I drift off too far, my main point is that the amount of vanilla is usually pretty similar. My usual standard is one teaspoon, more or less. I always stuck to that amount, occasionally free handing, but I drew the conclusion that the key to vanilla must lie in the quality of the vanilla. I only use pure vanilla, and whenever I have a gift card to Williams-Sonoma I buy the high quality Madagascar Vanilla or Mexican Vanilla, (be warned they are addicting and expensive).

Then this past weekend I came across two recipes that both called for a TABLESPOON of vanilla. It sounded a little crazy to me, how could a cookie possibly need that much vanilla. However, in the kitchen I am all about trying new things. If you have ever looked at the difference between a Tablespoon and a teaspoon you will realize the dramatic difference. Imagine adding a Tablespoon of salt, rather than a teaspoon. My theory for vanilla had always relied on the importance of quality, so I was not going to back track there. Granted there is tension in that alone, if it didn’t turn out that’s like flushing $3 down the drain.

I prepared the cookies as usual, and let’s just say they were LEGEN wait for it DARY (I stole that line from my friend Brett, who quotes it from How I Met Your Mother). The increase in vanilla brought a whole new dimension to the cookie. All of the flavors were stronger and it was a truly decadent treat.

I know the next step would be to use a whole vanilla bean, but for now I am content with this delicious discovery.

What experiments have you had in the kitchen?

Soft Sugar Cookies
Adapted from: Lovin' From the Oven

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside. 
Cream the sugar and butter together until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients.
Set in fridge to chill for at least one hour.
Once chilled, roll into Tablespoon sized balls and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Top with your favorite frosting.