If you’ve ever wondered how to make your home cooking and baking taste like it came out of a restaurant kitchen, we’re here to help find the answer. While some techniques can only be learned after spending countless hours training, adding complex flavor notes is as easy as knowing which ingredients to add to your favorite dishes.
We’ve crafted high-quality pure vanilla and flavor extracts to help professionals create taste that delights for more than a century. Check out these 12 secret ingredients that the pros use to add delicious flavor to all of their goodies, and read through to the end to find out how you can get a chance to win all 12 in our first-ever sweepstakes giveaway.
12. Rose Water
This pure vanilla extract is crafted from the highest quality vanilla beans grown in Madagascar, the world’s leading supplier of vanilla beans. With an extremely versatile flavor profile, you can add this to any recipe to add full, sweet and creamy notes of vanilla. In addition to adding complex, rich flavor, the addition of vanilla extract to any recipe naturally enhances the other flavors in the recipe. Try it out in a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe to taste the difference.
Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract is made from premium, hand-selected beans cultivated in Mexico, the original birthplace of the vanilla plant. A rich marriage of sweet and woody notes, the Mexican vanilla flavor profile has a deep, creamy, spicy-sweet character, similar to clove or nutmeg. Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract’s unique flavor profile means it works especially well with chocolate, citrus fruits, cinnamon, cloves and other warm spices. The vanilla’s spiciness complements chili peppers and tomatoes, smoothing out their heat and acidity. We love using it in brownie recipes like these Brown Butter Brownies.
Tahitian vanilla extract is crafted from a unique varietal of the vanilla plant that is native to Tahiti. A favorite of pastry chefs around the world, Tahitian vanilla has a floral, fruity and cherry-like flavor profile that is best suited for refrigerated and frozen foods, where it adds a delicious and delicate vanilla flavor. It is also excellent in dishes like fruity cocktails, salad dressings and smoothies. It’s perfect for adding to your morning chia seed pudding.
Ugandan Pure Vanilla Extract is crafted from premium, hand-selected Ugandan vanilla beans and has a rich vanilla flavor profile with hints of chocolate notes. Similar to vanilla from Madagascar, Ugandan vanilla is a versatile, all-purpose staple for a range of baking and cooking applications. It pairs especially well with chocolate, caramel and citrus dishes. We love using it in Brown Butter Chocolate Snickerdoodles.
Indonesian Pure Vanilla Extract is crafted from premium, hand-selected Indonesian vanilla beans. While some vanillas are sensitive to heat, Indonesian vanilla offers more flavor stability, making it the perfect choice for high-heat and slow-baked applications like cakes, cookies, barbecue sauces and chilis. Additionally, Indonesian Pure Vanilla Extract complements the sweetness in chocolate- and dairy-based recipes, providing a valuable flavor boost. It’s a delicious addition to Indonesian Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting.
Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste is crafted from our famous Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract, along with real bean specks from the vanilla pod. The flavor profile is sweet, creamy and mellow with velvety after-tones. The paste’s thick consistency (similar to molasses) enables you to add more delicious vanilla flavor without thinning out your batters or sauces. It’s also ideal for recipes in which you want to add the enticing visual flair of vanilla bean specks, such as crème brûlée and ice cream. Try adding it to pecan pie recipes to complement the sweet, nutty flavors of the pie.
Made with Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Lemon Paste inspires creativity by providing a convenient way to add a layer of sweet, bright, citrus flavor to a variety of recipes. The paste’s thick consistency (similar to molasses) enables you to add more delicious lemon flavor without the need to juice or zest. It’s excellent as a glaze on top of cakes and scones or brushed on fish before grilling or broiling. You can also add it to yogurt, frostings and pastry creams for a lovely lemon flavor. It adds lemony-sweet flavor to the cake and glaze in our Lemon Pound Cake.
Crafted from the finest mint leaves, this extract is a favorite during the holiday season when peppermint-flavored desserts are in vogue, like our super-shareable Paleo Gluten-Free Crinkle Cookies. However, it has year-round culinary use in ice creams, savory sauces for meat dishes and a variety of cocktails.
A baker’s best friend, almond extract is one of the most popular flavors used in baking. Ours is made with the purest oil of bitter almond to deliver optimal results in flavor and quality. It is an ideal flavor complement for vanilla, chocolate, maple or butterscotch, which is why it has become such a kitchen necessity. Use it to enhance recipes like these chocolate-dipped Almond Shortbread Cookies with a nutty, sweet flavor.
Crafted from the finest cocoa beans, our Pure Chocolate Extract embodies the complex flavor of dark chocolate. Adding this extract is the easiest way to add extra layers of this divine flavor to any recipe that has chocolate as its base, like this Hot Chocolate Pumpkin Cake. It also gives subtle distinction to a wide range of dishes, pairing exceptionally well with chili peppers, tomatoes, legumes and, of course, vanilla.
Our Pure Lemon Extract is produced from lemon oil, drawn from the natural essence of the highest quality California lemons. Full of bright flavor and capable of complementing almost any dish, Pure Lemon Extract has limitless possibilities. It will add a splash of citrus to savory and sweet recipes alike, including our delicious Lemon Cupcakes with Marshmallow Meringue. Easily added to dishes, there’s no zesting or juicing needed.
Rose water’s delicate floral notes are perfect in Middle Eastern, Indian and Greek cuisine. Only a few drops are needed to make a luxurious addition to jams, drinks, pastries and even savory dishes. This sweet-scented water also pairs well with fruits such as strawberries, dark and white chocolate and, of course, vanilla. In addition to baked goods, rose water has a wide range of uses in cocktails. A splash of rose water can even be added to hot tea for a soothing beverage any time of day. We love the complex floral notes it adds to Persian Toffee.
Right now, it’s easier than ever to get your hands on all of these ingredients so you can make all your holiday baking extra special. Enter our first-ever giveaway by following these three easy steps:
Learn more about the giveaway at NielsenMassey.com/Sweepstakes
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