I'll admit it. Our Pure Alcohol-Free Vanilla Flavor was one of those products in our product line that I never used very much. I didn't have any reason not to use it, but I just didn't normally stock it in my pantry. Well, last year, I ran out of my beloved Pure Choice Vanilla Extract for weekend apple crisp, I swapped it for our Alcohol-Free Pure Vanilla Flavor and I was surprised at the results.
The flavor profile was soft, mellow, and sweet. The apple crisp tasted like it came straight out of the best bakery in town. Even as it was cooking in the oven, my mom (and our president) remarked on how good it smelled and asked if I did something different! (My mom is a seasoned and excellent baker, so this comment was appreciated.
The next week, I used it in some blueberry muffins and had the same result. I became a believer!
Now don't get me wrong, nothing will ever replace my Cook's Choice Pure Vanilla Extract, it will always be my standard. But now, when I want particularly fresh fruit to shine, when I am amping up my coffee with some vanilla, or when I am making something, like muffins or a yellow birthday cake that I really want to taste like it came from a bakery, I reach for the Pure Alcohol-Free Vanilla Flavor.
Another reason to use our Alcohol-Free Pure Vanilla Flavor is if you are concerned about flavor loss in high-temperature baking. We just responded to an article that advised home bakers to avoid using pure vanilla extract in their baking and instead opt for imitation vanilla extract. At Cook's, we always recommend that you use pure vanilla for the best-tasting results. An imitation flavor will always be cloying and artificial by comparison. But if this is a concern for you, try our Alcohol-Free Vanilla Flavor. In this product, there is nothing to burn or cook off at a high temperature, so you can be sure every bit of the precious vanilla flavor remains in your baked goods.
Now what exactly makes the Pure Alcohol-Free Vanilla Flavor different? When first it does not contain alcohol, obviously. So particularly in low-temperature baking and when you will not be heating the dessert at all, the Alcohol-Free Vanilla Flavor doesn't have the harshness from the alcohol content. This is also why it is labeled as a flavor because as per the FDA guidelines, Pure Vanilla Extract must contain at least 30% alcohol.
The extraction is also different as the extraction medium is glycerin and water. The difference in extraction medium means that different flavor compounds will be captured in the flavor of the extract. This fact accounts for the smooth, mellow, round, and balanced flavor notes while the alcoholic extraction yields more richness and complexity.
I particularly recommend this product for sugar cookies, yellow-cake, any frosting, icing, or glaze (the lighter color will also help to keep your frosting lighter in color!), pear and strawberry desserts, coffee creamer, muffins, and for candy-making where you want to add the flavor when the candy is still piping hot!
Happy baking and let me know what you think!
Comments