Carrot cake is an American classic. This recipe makes the humble carrot cake  into a four-tier, nut-crusted confection that will be the center piece of the celebration. The cake will be baked in a half sheet pan, that way you don't have to cut the layers and the cooking and cooling times are reduced. This recipe is based on a recipe from the American's Test Kitchen. This technique can be used for many cakes.

Oven: 350
Time: 15-18 minutes
Pan: 18 x 13 inch rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Cake Ingredients:
236g of soft white flour (1 3/4 cups)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp.  ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves

236g light brown sugar (1 1/4 cups)
168g vegetable oil (3/4 cup)
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cup carrots (4 carrots)
2/3 cup raisins

Cake Directions:

• Shred the carrots using food processor or grater box
• Mix dry ingredients together; flour baking powder, soda, spices in a large bowl.
• Whisk Sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla together in a second bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir in the carrots and raisins.
• Add the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until mixture is just combined. Let it sit for 15 minutes
• Transfer the batter to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Smooth the batter with an offset spatula. Bake until the center of the cake is firm to the touch 15-18 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and invert the cake onto a wire rack DO NOT remove the parchment paper. Then reinvert it onto a second wire rack to flip it over and cool completely.

Frosting:
340g powdered sugar (3 cups)
227g  unsalted butter (16 T.)
40g DRY buttermilk powder (1/3 cup) ... This gives the frosting a nice tang
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
12 ounces cream cheese chilled and cut into 12 equal pieces
227g pecans  toasted and chopped coarse (2 cups)

Frosting Directions:

• Using a mixer, beat on low speed, the sugar, butter, buttermilk powder, vanilla and salt together until smooth. 
• Increase the speed and add the pieces of cream cheese one at a time mix until  smooth.

Assembly:

• Transfer the cooled cake to the cutting board, with the parchment paper attached side down. 
• Cut the cake and parchment in half crosswise, then lengthwise into 4 even quarters.
• Make a 6x8 piece of card board wrapped with wax paper or foil placed on a cake platter.
• Place 1 cake layer, parchment side up, on the cardboard and carefully remove the parchment. Spread 2/3 of a cup of the frosting to the edge  of the cake. Repeat with 2 more layers of cake and frosting. Press lightly to make sure they adhere to each other. 
• Top with the last layer and spread 1 cup of frosting evenly over the top. Spread the remain frosting evenly over the sides of the cake. 
• Add chopped nuts to the side of the cake by gently pressing them to the icing with your hands.
• Refrigerate for up to 24 hours before serving.

​ Enjoy!

This recipe is based on a recipe with America's Test Kitchen. I have modified it for using 100% whole grain and added a few spices. It makes 2 loaves, I used my 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pans instead of two 9 x 5 inch pans. If you use a the larger pan check for doneness about 5 minutes earlier.

Yields: 2 loaves
Oven: 350 degrees
Bake: 45-50 minutes in a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 pan --- 40-45 minutes in larger pan

Ingredients:
Bread
2 c. + 2 T soft white flour (300g) or 2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. pecans  chopped (100g)

1 can 15oz unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves

1 c. sugar (200g)
1c. brown sugar (200g)
1/2 c. vegetable oil (107g)
4 oz cream cheese (113g)  - cut into small pieces
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. buttermilk (63g)

Toppings
5 T. brown sugar
1 T. soft white flour
1 T. soft butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt

Directions Toppings:
Using your fingers, mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Directions For Bread:

• Combine the flour baking powder and soda into a bowl and set aside.
• Combine the pumpkin, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and clovers in a large saucepan. You will be cooking this over medium heat on the stove top. Cook this mixture for 6-8 minutes stirring so it does not burn. It will reducer to around 1 1/2 cups in volume.
• Remove from the heat and add the sugars, oil, cream cheese and vanilla. Stir until is well combined and the cream cheese is melted. Let this mixture cool for a few minutes.
  
• Now add the eggs and buttermilk, whisk until combined.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold the nuts into the mixture.
• Divide the batter evenly between 2 well greased baking pan
• Sprinkle the topping evenly over the two loaves.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes depending on the size of your pan. It will be done when you insert a tooth pick in the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and cool in the pans for about 20 minutes before removing them. remove the loaves from the pans and let them cool for at least 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve with ice cream or top with whipped cream if you like.

No mater what you are baking there are 2 rules when selecting grains:

• I suggest you always go with a organic or chemical free grains. You are taking the time to mill the flour use the best wheat berries.
• The next choice is to buy a spring berry, instead of a winter berry. The difference is the spring berry is planted in the spring by the farmer and it grows all season and is harvested. The winter berry is planted as a second crop after the spring wheat. When the winter wheat is planted the soil is still warm and the wheat grows some, then the cold weather stops the growth and over the winter it goes dormant until the following spring. Then it will finish growing and finally be harvested. This starting and stopping of the growth reduces the protein or gluten in the grain.

When I first started to mill my own flour, I didn't know that much about the different grains. There is nothing like experience to teach you that cakes made with a hard grain (hard red or white wheat) would bounce off the wall due to the high gluten.

Understanding the different grains and characteristics of each will help you with all your baking items. Cookies, cakes, muffins any baked item that is chemically leavened with a baking powder or baking soda will need grain a that has low gluten to create a tender textured finished product.

Soft White or Soft Red Wheat = Pastry Flour
My first choice for making baked items that are chemically leavened with baking powder or soda is a soft white spring wheat. I usually choose a soft white wheat berry over a soft red wheat berry just to keep the end product lighter in color. Both will work fine, it just depends on what you want the final product to look like. The other grains below are often substituted as part of the flour in the recipe and mixed with the soft white to produce a unique mix.

Heirloom Grains = Spelt or Others
Spelt is an heirloom grain that has gluten but not as much as a hard wheat. You could use this in cookies, or mixed with a soft wheat berry. I would not use 100% spelt flour it you are making a cake.

Oat Groats = Oat Flour
Oats do not have gluten, and sometimes you want the cookie to be very tender. Like short bread cookies, which have a melt in your mouth texture. Mixing a soft wheat with oat flour could be an option. Oats do have a taste so consider that when choosing oats.

Soy Flour
I do not mill my own soy flour, because I have a stone mill and soy has some oil which is not good for stone mills. A small amount of soy flour is used as a dough conditioner when making bread. When you add soy to a cookie recipe it gives the cookies a very soft, melt in your mouth texture. It only take a couple of tablespoons to 1/4 c. for the recipe.

Pearled Barley = Barley Flour
Barley flour does not have gluten and like the soy it also gives cookies a soft texture. The barley gives the cookies a nutty taste and you only need a few tablespoons in the recipe.

There are many other options but these are my usual mixes. You can use all soft white flour in your cookie recipes but if you substitute some of the flour in the recipe for a different grain you can come up with a wonderful cookie mix that is unique in taste and texture.

The dough for flour tortillas needs to have the ability to stretch and be rolled very thin without tearing.  I use Hard White wheat because it's a high gluten flour giving it the ability to stretch. This recipe will work with other flours like Hard Red, and mixtures of flours. You could mix the Hard White with Soft White to get a thicker more tender tortilla. It all depends on your preferences.

Equipment:
Scale...Once you have one you will not live without one.
Silicone Pastry Rolling Mat...Allows you to roll perfect circles.
Tortilla Press...You will use this for more than just making tortillas.
French Rolling Pin..This is a nice addition to your baking equipment. It is tapered on the ends making it perfect for rolling circles.
Large heavy bottom skillet... like a 10 inch cast iron skillet.

Note: All my recipes I have converted to grams which is more accurate. If you have a scale use the grams in the recipe not the measurements.

Flour Tortillas

• 2 1/3c. + 1T. Hard White flour (341g)
• 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• Pinch of Ginger
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1/4c. + 1T. Water (77g)
• 1/2c. + 2T. Milk (162g)
• 3 T. Coconut Oil (42g) - Warmed in microwave
• 1 tsp. Lecithin (available at the Co-Op)

Makes (9) 9 inch tortillas wt 69g
Makes (8) 10 inch tortillas wt. 78g

Instructions

1. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the paddle attached mix dry ingredients until well combined.
2. Put the dough hook on the mixer and add milk and water with mixer running at a low speed. Mix for 1 minute, stopping several times to scrape the sides of the bowl.
   
3. Add the warmed coconut oil and lecithin to the bowl and knead until the dough comes together. It will not take long. The dough will be fairly stiff but smooth to the touch.
   
4. Remove the dough from the bowl onto the counter.  Divide the dough into 9 or 8 pieces depending on how large you want your tortillas.   Form each piece into a ball and cover with a piece of plastic so it does not dry out while you are working with the dough. You can leave them in the refrigerator if you are not going to cook them right away just make sure they are covered.
   

Cooking the Tortillas
After trial and error I have found a system that works fairly well. After you have your balls of dough divided and covered. There are a few tricks that have worked for me.

Take a 10-11 inch square piece of plastic wrap or plastic vegetable bag and  lay it on the mat so it covers the 10 inch circle completely. Put a small amount of oil on the plastic. This is going to stay on the mat as you make the tortillas.

Now cut 2 more pieces of plastic both about 8 inches square. These will be used on your tortilla press. You will put the ball of dough between the plastic pieces and press down. This will give you a flattened 6 inch disk, that you will roll larger. The plastic makes it easy to remove it from the press, so there is no mess.

Turn on the stove top to medium heat and place your pan on the burner to heat up. I usually put a drop of oil in the pan and wipe it out with a paper towel, just so the tortilla does not stick. You are now set up to start making the tortillas. It goes quickly and you have to keep up. This is not a time to answer the phone or have distractions.

How to Store

1. The tortillas will keep stored in an airtight container or zippered bag at at room temperature for 24 hours or can be frozen indefinitely. I make sure they are completely cooled and put them into a zip lock bag. They do not stick together and are easy to remove one at a time from the bag.
   

Making the Chicken Fajita's... Recipe

The biscuits are made with Soft White Wheat, (pastry flour) it's lower in gluten than hard flours (bread flour). The general rule is soft wheat is a better choice for anything that you will not be using yeast as the leavening agent. This biscuit recipe is for a drop biscuit so it's easy to make and comes out light and perfect.
If you are using all purpose flour for this recipe ... Read How to Adjust Recipe

Equipment:
Baking Sheet: I use a half sheet baking pan with a silpat. It works well because it keeps the bottoms of the biscuits from over browning.
Release Me Cream .... If you don't have a silpat use this to grease the pan, it's perfect and a little goes a long way. It's all natural and you can make it yourself... Recipe
# 12 Muffin Scoop ....You will use this for muffins, biscuits and pancakes.
Scale...Once you have one you will not live without one.

Biscuit Recipe:   (I usually double the recipe and freeze the extra)
Oven: 425 degrees
Bake: 15-18 minutes
Servings: 9 Biscuits

2 1/3 c. + 1T Soft White Flour (291g)
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/8 tsp. Baking Soda
1 T. Sugar or up to 2 T. if you want them sweeter
1/2 tsp. Salt

7 T. Shortening or Butter (48g)

1/4 c. Cream (59g)
1/4 c. Milk (48g)
1c. Buttermilk (250g)

Directions:

• Weight out the flour if you have a scale and add all the dry ingredients to the bowl. I use a small strainer when adding the baking powder and soda just to make sure there are no clumps.
  

Equipment:
Large Stove Top Pan: I have a saucier pan, it's perfect for making any liquids because it has rounded edges.
Whisk: Wire whisk or large spoon
Colander: To rinse the sausage

Gravy Recipe:
Yields: About 3 cups
Servings: 6 - suggested serving size 1/2 cup

3 1/2 c. milk (any type, I use whole milk) (850g)
1/2 lb. pork or beef sausage
1/2 c. flour (55g) I use soft white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 T pepper or to taste

I usually double this recipe and freeze it.

• Let the gravy boil for a minute. You will know it is done when you put a spoon into it and you can run your finger thru it and it leaves a mark.
  
• Cover and cool completely.

Enjoy Tamara

Now muffins seem to be easy there is no yeast to deal with but in reality they can be tricky. I am a sticker when it comes to muffins, they need to be tasty but also look perfect. So these tips will ensure not only a tasty muffin but a pretty one.

Equipment:
Muffin Pan .... These are the best on the market. You want the muffins to come out of the pan easily every time, and this pan will do that for you.
Release Me Cream .... I make this to grease the pans, it's perfect and a little goes a long ways. It's all natural and you can make it yourself... Recipe
# 12 Muffin Scoop ....You will use this for muffins, biscuits and pancakes.
Scale...Once you have one you will not live without one.

Recipe                                                    Yields: 12 muffins
Pumpkin Muffins                                      Bake: 17 minutes (total)
2c. + 2T. (270g) soft white pastry flour     Oven: 425 Pre-heat
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp spice mix (pumpkin)

2/3 c. (132g) brown sugar
1/2c (113g) soft unsalted butter (1 stick)
2 eggs large

1/2 can pumpkin (213g)
1/4 c. + 2 T. (61g) buttermilk
2 T. (45g) molasses
1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. (66g) raisins
3/4 c. (83g) nuts

There are two basic methods for mixing quick breads, the creaming method, or the stirred. I find working with whole grain flour the rules don't always apply and you have to experiment. So here is what I have learned that works for most muffin recipes.

Steps:

• Get all your ingredients out of the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. This is important with the butter and the eggs, because you can only achieve a high light muffin if the butter is properly creamed with the sugar. The proper consistency only happens if they are at room temperature.
  
• If the recipe has nuts it's always best to toast them in the oven at a low temperature, for about 5 minutes. You should smell them, that is how you know they are done. Toasting brings out the flavor in your baked item, so this is a step you should not skip.
• The pumpkin recipe above is broken down into different sections. The first 5 ingredients are the dry ingredients. Put the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. It's best to weigh all the ingredients, not only will this save you washing dishes, it's more accurate. (picture 1)
• Picture 2 shows adding the baking soda and powder to the flour. I use a small sieve to add this to the flour mixture, it gets all the clumps out so you can mix it better.
• Picture 3 is adding the spices and salt. Once all the dry ingredients are added to the bowl mix it with a whisk (picture 4)

The idea with muffins is to not over develop the gluten, which makes a tough muffin. The gluten is the protein in the flour, so to achieve this we creamed the butter and sugar to help get a high muffin. Then we added all of the liquid ingredients to that mixture. We now will mix the dry ingredients BY HAND to the mixture in the bowl. Before adding to the bowl add the raisins and toasted nuts to the flour mixture and mix. Then add the dry mixture to the bowl and using a folding method and gently mix.

Place the muffin mixture into the fridge for minimum of 30 minutes to over night. This is an important step, letting the batter sit allows the bran in the whole grain to soften. It will also give you a taller muffin if the batter is cold when placed into the oven.
Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees

These muffin pans are the best I have ever used .... More Information.
I grease the muffin pan with my own Release Me Cream, .... Recipe
Scoop the batter out and put into the pan, sprinkle the top of each muffin with a course sugar.

Baking Time and Temperature
Time: Total time 17 minutes
Pre-heat oven 425 degrees
Put into the oven at 425 for (5 minutes)
Turn down the oven to 375 degrees for finish baking (12 minutes)

Remove them from the oven and let them sit 2 minutes in the pan, then remove onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before storing.

Storage:
I freeze them, they are perfect after being frozen. Take them out and leave at room temperature on a plate for a few minutes.

I hope you learned something from this step by step instructions. You can make perfect muffins also just take your time and make notes, just in case your first attempt is not your best.

Many folks think scones are mysterious and difficult to make. The reality is making scones is similar to making biscuits. A simple mixture of flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, butter, and often eggs for added richness.

Scones can be flavored with the addition of dried fruits, nuts, herbs and spices. The basic scone recipe below makes a mildly sweet, vanilla-scented scone, the perfect blank canvas for your favorite additions.

 General Tips for Top-Notch Scones

• Make sure the butter, eggs, and milk (or other dairy) are cold. Like pie crust and biscuits, scones rely on cold fat for their flakiness.
• Work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like coarse sand with some larger, pea-sized chunks. The smaller particles of butter will tenderize, while the larger will create flaky texture.
• Eggs add richness, and enhance your scones' rise. If your recipe doesn't already call for egg, and you want to add one, simply substitute 1 egg for an equal volume of the milk or cream in the recipe.
• Beware of juicy add-ins, like raspberries or chopped strawberries; they can make scones soggy.
• Once you add liquid, stir the dough only enough to combine; don't over-mix, or your scones will be tough.
• For soft-sided scones, bake very close together; or bake in large rounds, then cut once they're out of the oven.
• Freezing the pan of scones for 30 minutes before baking this relaxes the flour's gluten (encouraging tenderness), and chills the fat (enhancing flaky texture).  Good Tip!
• Bake scones until they're barely done; their interior will be fully baked (not doughy), but still moist. An over-baked scone is a dry scone.
• Can you use lower-fat or nonfat dairy (skim milk, low-fat yogurt) as your liquid? Yes, but the scones will be dry and hard. The higher their fat content, the more tender the scones.

Basic Scone Recipe
The scones are made with Soft White Wheat, (pastry flour) it's lower in gluten than hard flours (bread flour). The general rule is soft wheat is a better choice for anything that you will not be using yeast as the leavening agent. This recipe  you can add various dried fruits and spices to change the flavor of the scone. Make no mistake they are also excellent just plain, sprinkled with course sugar.

Equipment:
Scale...Once you have one you will wonder how you baked without it.
Food Processor ... Not required but makes the job easier.
# 12 Muffin Scoop ....Use for muffins, biscuits, scones and pancakes.
Baking Sheet: I use a half sheet baking pan with a silpat. It works well because it keeps the bottoms of the scones from over browning.

Oven: 425 degrees
Bake: 15 minutes
Pan: Sheet Pan
Yields: 12 scones

Ingredients:
3  c. Soft White Flour (pastry flour) 360 g
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 c. sugar (73 g)

1 c. butter (2 sticks) cold and diced  (226 g)

1 c. buttermilk (245 g)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Toppings:
2 T butter (28 g)
2 T. sugar (25 g)

Who knew there were so many different types of sugar to choose from? I really never thought about it until I needed to buy a course sugar to decorate the top of my muffins, to give them that sparkle and crunch.

Sugar choices range from white sugar, to cane sugar, to a rich brown sugar. Each variety offers a special uniqueness and application. Sugar of course provides sweetness but, it also can be used to add texture, and decoration. Sugar also makes the dough tender and provides stability for egg whites when making a meringue. It also helps your baked goods achieve that perfect golden brown color in the oven.

TYPES OF SUGARS
Highly Processed Sugars
1. Granulated Sugar: This is the most common sugar which is white in color and highly refined. It's made from sugarcane and sugar beets.

2. Caster Sugar: This is just superfine granulated white sugar. It's sometimes labeled superfine sugar. You may choose to use this type of sugar if you need the sugar to dissolve quickly, like for making meringues, and syrups.

3. Confectioners Sugar: Another name for confectioners sugar is powdered sugar. It's just white sugar that has been ground into a fine powder. To prevent clumping a small amount of cornstarch is typically blended into the sugar when processing. The best application for this type of sugar is for making icings as well as decorating your baked goods.

4. Pearl Sugar: Another name for pearl sugar is nib or hail sugar. It's a white sugar that has a large irregular coarse shape, hard texture and an opaque color. The advantages to using it are, it holds it's shape when baked. Pearl sugar is commonly used in Scandinavian baking to decorate pastries, cookies, and buns.

5. Sanding Sugar: This type of sugar has large uniform crystals that sparkle, perfect for toppings on your baked items. It's also resistant to heat which makes it a good choice for decorating your baked goods. You may also find this sugar in a rainbow of colors. Since this is a specialty sugar it's usually not at the grocery store, at least not around here.

6. Dark and Light Brown Sugar: We are all familiar with brown sugar, both of these types of sugars are granulated sugar with molasses added back in. The dark brown sugar has a higher concentration of molasses. I usually buy the dark brown sugar because of the higher molasses content. Molasses is a good source of minerals and iron...Read More

Minimally Processed Sugars
1. Sucanat Sugar: Made from crystallized pure cane sugar, this truly unrefined sugar retains a higher proportion of molasses than other types of cane sugars. It has an intense, rather burnt taste that may be overpowering in lighter baking recipes but, is fantastic in things like spice cakes and ginger cookies.

2. Demerara Sugar This is a variety of raw cane sugar that is minimally refined. It has large uniform grains with an amber color and a natural, subtle toffee flavor. The larger grains are similar to Sanding Sugar but it's not as processed and is amber in color.

3. Turbinado Sugar: This sugar variety has larger crystals than Demerara sugar. The medium-brown crystals, are often mistaken for standard brown sugar because of its color. It's made from the first pressing of the sugar cane meaning it contains slightly more molasses and trace nutrients.  Turbinado sugar has a delicate caramel flavor and is commonly used to sweeten beverages and can also be used in baking instead of granulated sugar.

4. Muscovado Sugar: Another name often used is Barbados sugar.  This sugar does not have the molasses removed which gives it a stronger molasses flavor compared to dark brown sugar. The consistency of muscovado sugar is very similar to brown sugar, wet, and sandy. It's this rich strong flavor that works well in barbecue sauce, marinades and savory dishes.

Sources:
https://www.reference.com
www.thekitchen.com
www.mybakingaddiction.com

Substituting honey for sugar in your baked items is not a simple one for one ratio. There are several considerations to take into account before you add the honey.

1. Honey is sweeter then whit sugar so the amount of honey needs to be reduced in the recipe. Also, not all honeys are the same, in flavor and sweetness. General Rule: For every 1 cup of sugar, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup of honey.
2. The next consideration when substituting honey is it contains more liquid up to 20% water than white sugar. This will throw off the liquid to flour ratio in the recipe if you don't reduce the total amount of liquid in the recipe to account for the honey. General Rule: For every 1 cup of honey you're using, subtract 1/4 cup of other liquids from the recipe.
3. Most baker don't think of the acidity of the recipe, but adding honey will make the batter more acidic since honey is naturally acidic. The addition of baking soda will help balance the acidity so your baked item will rise properly. General Rule: Add 1/4 tsp. baking soda for every 1 cup of honey used in the recipe.
   
4. The last consideration is the oven temperature at which you will bake your item. Honey has a higher sugar content which means it will burn faster than granulated white sugar. In order to prevent your baked item from over browning you will need to reduce the oven temperature and keep a closer eye on it. General Rule: Reduce the temperature of the oven by 25°F.

Like with most recipes follow these guidelines and take notes on the results. Remember these are guidelines so you may have to make adjustments to your recipe after giving it a try.

Sources:
Tips from the Kitchen, http://www.thekitchn.com

I was always sold on real vanilla in all my baked products, but after reading this article from Cooks Illustrated I have changed my mind. Cooks Illustrated did a taste test a couple of years ago that got a lot of folks talking about vanilla. Here is what they concluded.

Vanilla is a powerful flavor enhancer it intensifies the taste of other foods including chocolate, coffee, fruit, and nuts, and boosts our perception of sweetness.  This is true for both pure and imitation vanilla. Real vanilla has  around 250 flavor and aroma compounds. The artificial version has just one, vanillin, the predominant flavor in natural vanilla. One of the most striking differences between the pure and artificial vanilla involve the flavor of alcohol. The federal guidelines require 35 percent alcohol in pure vanilla extract, while imitation vanilla has little to no alcohol. This explains why the tasters kept describing real vanilla as “boozy,” an adjective rarely applied to artificial vanilla. The tasters also found the real stuff nutty, spicy, and more complex than the artificial vanilla.

The cost between the real vanilla and the imitation is great, so the question becomes are you really getting a more favorable vanilla using the real stuff? The answer depends on how you use it. If you use vanilla regularly in baked goods in which the internal temperature gets over 210 degrees, like cookies and muffins, there's no reason to spring for the real stuff, artificial extract will do just fine. If you drink a lot of nog, or make uncooked ice cream bases or cold desserts you might consider buying real vanilla. But if all you've got on hand is the artificial vanilla, just add a touch of booze to the mix. One teaspoon of vodka or bourbon for every teaspoon of vanilla works great, and you will not be able to tell the difference.

Sources
Cooks Illustrated
Serous Eats