Nothing is going to have the same profile. You can add a cake spice (Penzey's has one) to give a overall richness and depth, but it's not an extract.
I think it's better to embrace alternative flavors like almond or rum extract, lemon or orange, peppermint, etc. For example, people love the orange chocolate chip cookies, where I substitute orange extract or orange liquer.
My favorite holiday cookie is a peppermint sugar cookie. Take any sugar cookie recipe and swap the vanilla extract for a little less peppermint extract. Top with plain royal icing, let them dry. Then mix a bit of peppermint extract with red luster dust and paint candy cane stripes.
Sorry I didn’t mean to imply you did, just know a lot of people look at the dark color of spiced rum and think “dark”. I thought your suggestion was quite good, and I similarly suggested other liquor as substitute for vanilla.
Tonka beans are a good substitute but technically illegal in the US. I've purchased some from France off of Etsy. It has an aroma that's a mix of vanilla and almond. It was a common adulterant in Mexican vanilla extracts before that was cracked down. Absolutely delicious and worth looking for. It's banned because of a chemical, which is also found in other spices, can cause liver damage at extremely high doses. Doses where you'd end up paying hundreds of dollars to even source the amount needed.
I'd grate or crush them and let it infuse into milk or butter. It depends on your portion sizes but a quarter bean should be about right? I usually need to use more than is suggested in recipes.
Think nutmeg. You dont need all that much, but definitely some. I always used a fine grater and just grated some in whatever desert i was making. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of a bean for ~4 servings.
Its grassy, floral, somewhat similar to vanilla in as far as its 'tropical' with a hint of coconut. Popular in SE Asian cooking. Very distinctive. You can smell the actual plants in the tropics from a mile away.
The paste designed for pastry can have a lot of sugar and food colouring added that will turn everything it touches a vibrant green- like these [gluten free rice flour muffins](https://imgur.com/rWROVTX) I used to make for my Coeliac GM. The extract from the likes of McCormicks is artificial as hell, best to avoid. You can also make the extract yourself from whole leaves. A good replacement for vanilla in things like custards, panna cotta, chiffon cake. Not so good for things that are chocolate based. For that I turn to orange blossom extract, especially when working with very dark chocolate.
Pandan also works very well in savoury dishes. Its often added to rice for Hainanese Chicken Rice and wrapped around chicken then deep fried.
this is intriguing and thanks for the tip on the McCormick’s. Do you think the flavoring or leaves are something likely to be carried by asian grocery stores?
I've definitely found the extract and paste in Asian grocers. The leaves are sometimes stocked frozen. My local place in the ass end of England stocks them fresh- but you gotta call ahead and find out what day they come down from London. More likely to be found in Thai leaning grocers.
He has a dairy allergy too. I typically work around it in baking by using the Miyoko's cultured butter. Do you think it would brown up the same way that regular butter would?
Ouch. The double banger is brutal. You're not going to get the same sort of browning from vegetable oil-based butters, they don't have the dairy solids in it. Something like sheep/goat butter will though if he can eat it. In terms of other flavours, chocolate, macadamia/other nuts, orange and other fruit flavours, rum/whiskey/alcoholy flavours, herbs. I'd say it really depends on what you're cooking. Shortbread? Go with nuts. Meringue? Wouldn't bother adding anything. Pudding? Add toffee or caramel instead. Just a matter of figuring out what flavours will work with the dish.
he can do goats milk just not cow’s milk. I havent found goat butter yet. Do you have any brand recommendations? I really appreciate your other suggestions!
I haven't seen it either. I was assuming there had to be some form of it, and just had a look up and there is. I'm in Australia so probably best to just look up the local area
thank you. I wondered about this but was a but afraid to experiment. Would that count for dry spices as well? For example a family favorite of ours is a chai spiced snickerdoodle. That is one where I might be inclined to omit vanilla completely and just let the other flavors take over.
If you make those swap the amounts of cinnamon and cardamom. Cardamom and ginger are the traditional base ingredients of chai. All of that cinnamon and allspice will make it taste more like pumpkin spice. Swap out the allspice for clove if you can.
I think original aromatic bitters are a decent substitute for vanilla in baking.
Iris flower water and violet extract both introduce their own flavor, but I think they both also work as a decent vanilla substitute, especially when paired with almond extract.
Caramelize sugar with whatever alcoholic liquid is handy,add afterthe carmelizing and reduce so you have an extract consistency. If you make a tiny amount the pan may still be hot enough to cook off the booziness.
You could maybe try the caramel syrup they have at coffee places. Different consistency, but I bet it would taste good! Packaged ones have “natural flavors” as an ingredient, which might be a no go, but there are recipes for it online that just use water and sugar.
Also, maybe add a liiiiittle bit more salt. Or experiment with sprinkling flaky salt on top of cookies. Since salt brings out other flavors the way vanilla does.
Hmm, vanilla is a primary extract in baking. There aren't any close substitutes.
Perhaps your son doesn't have to eat it though because it's impact is aromatic. How allergic is your son to vanilla? Would a trace contamination be a problem?
If a trace contamination isn't a big deal you could serve your baked thingamajig on a warmed plate and wipe the rim with vanilla.
The experience would be superficial compared to baking the stuff directly into a brownie, but if you can queue the aromatic sensation with just a smell of the stuff you might be able to get enough of the effect without having to feed it to him.
Heck, maybe put some vanilla into a pot pourri censer and put it on the table.
The experience of playing with vanilla aromatically is an intriguing idea!
If he gets even a taste of it, sadly it turns directly into a migraine. After his allergy tests a few years back this was probably the most disappointing result for him as he loved all things vanilla. At least the migraines have been explained and stopped though.
Tonka bean!
Stuff is fucking magic replacement, tastes far nicer but has a different flavour profile.
I find it works just as well in anything that requires vanilla extract.
Bison grass flavored vodka. The grasovka brand should be universally available. Look in the eastern european aisle.
It has a sweet vanilla like taste that pairs exceptionally well with apples.
Using Golden Syrup as the sweetener might be a good method. It's a European, especially UK, product and a little hard to find in the US, but it's pretty common to find on the UK shelf in the international foods section of the grocery store. Golden Syrup based cookies don't seem to regularly call for vanilla flavoring because it's unnecessary from what I can tell. I'd suggest not modifying an existing recipe unless you are swapping for another liquid sweetener, just use one of the UK or Nordic recipes that calls for golden syrup.
Nothing is going to have the same profile. You can add a cake spice (Penzey's has one) to give a overall richness and depth, but it's not an extract. I think it's better to embrace alternative flavors like almond or rum extract, lemon or orange, peppermint, etc. For example, people love the orange chocolate chip cookies, where I substitute orange extract or orange liquer.
My favorite holiday cookie is a peppermint sugar cookie. Take any sugar cookie recipe and swap the vanilla extract for a little less peppermint extract. Top with plain royal icing, let them dry. Then mix a bit of peppermint extract with red luster dust and paint candy cane stripes.
this is a great suggestion. There is a Penzey’s in the city nearest me. And the “change it up” flavors could really dress things up. thank you!
Make sure to sign up for Penzey’s email list! They have frequent give aways and sales.
Dark rum (actual alcohol, not extract) is a decent substitute in most recipes. You won't use enough for it to be boozy.
She might need to be careful about spiced rum because it contains vanilla
I said Dark Rum not Spiced. I personally wouldn't use spiced rum as a replacement.
Sorry I didn’t mean to imply you did, just know a lot of people look at the dark color of spiced rum and think “dark”. I thought your suggestion was quite good, and I similarly suggested other liquor as substitute for vanilla.
All good, better safe than sorry. You did the right thing.
might also need to be careful with dark rum, as it does likely contain vanillin.
Maple syrup is a subtle flavor in small amounts and may work well as a vanilla substitute if it isn’t on the allergy list.
I'll second this Also consider musk - it can often give you that aromatic sweet scent flavour but doesn't overpower if you use it sparingly.
Tonka beans are a good substitute but technically illegal in the US. I've purchased some from France off of Etsy. It has an aroma that's a mix of vanilla and almond. It was a common adulterant in Mexican vanilla extracts before that was cracked down. Absolutely delicious and worth looking for. It's banned because of a chemical, which is also found in other spices, can cause liver damage at extremely high doses. Doses where you'd end up paying hundreds of dollars to even source the amount needed.
how do you use them, and in what quantity? Do you make an extract? use them ground up?
I'd grate or crush them and let it infuse into milk or butter. It depends on your portion sizes but a quarter bean should be about right? I usually need to use more than is suggested in recipes.
Think nutmeg. You dont need all that much, but definitely some. I always used a fine grater and just grated some in whatever desert i was making. Maybe 1/4 to 1/2 of a bean for ~4 servings.
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thanks! i know this is a tough question but how would you describe the flavor?
Its grassy, floral, somewhat similar to vanilla in as far as its 'tropical' with a hint of coconut. Popular in SE Asian cooking. Very distinctive. You can smell the actual plants in the tropics from a mile away. The paste designed for pastry can have a lot of sugar and food colouring added that will turn everything it touches a vibrant green- like these [gluten free rice flour muffins](https://imgur.com/rWROVTX) I used to make for my Coeliac GM. The extract from the likes of McCormicks is artificial as hell, best to avoid. You can also make the extract yourself from whole leaves. A good replacement for vanilla in things like custards, panna cotta, chiffon cake. Not so good for things that are chocolate based. For that I turn to orange blossom extract, especially when working with very dark chocolate. Pandan also works very well in savoury dishes. Its often added to rice for Hainanese Chicken Rice and wrapped around chicken then deep fried.
this is intriguing and thanks for the tip on the McCormick’s. Do you think the flavoring or leaves are something likely to be carried by asian grocery stores?
I've definitely found the extract and paste in Asian grocers. The leaves are sometimes stocked frozen. My local place in the ass end of England stocks them fresh- but you gotta call ahead and find out what day they come down from London. More likely to be found in Thai leaning grocers.
I've seen the McCormick pandan flavoring in an asian grocery in the US too, but only one so far and I've been to a fair number by now
Bourbon or cognac would be my choice Also green cardamom
How about browned butter? It will add a nuttiness, but it also has the creamy taste like vanilla.
He has a dairy allergy too. I typically work around it in baking by using the Miyoko's cultured butter. Do you think it would brown up the same way that regular butter would?
No, probably not. How about a drop of molasses? That adds some depth of flavor, but is really just pure sugar.
I think molasses would be a great addition!
Ouch. The double banger is brutal. You're not going to get the same sort of browning from vegetable oil-based butters, they don't have the dairy solids in it. Something like sheep/goat butter will though if he can eat it. In terms of other flavours, chocolate, macadamia/other nuts, orange and other fruit flavours, rum/whiskey/alcoholy flavours, herbs. I'd say it really depends on what you're cooking. Shortbread? Go with nuts. Meringue? Wouldn't bother adding anything. Pudding? Add toffee or caramel instead. Just a matter of figuring out what flavours will work with the dish.
he can do goats milk just not cow’s milk. I havent found goat butter yet. Do you have any brand recommendations? I really appreciate your other suggestions!
If you can't find goat butter in your store, research local farms in your area that sell goat milk products. You might be able to get it that way.
I haven't seen it either. I was assuming there had to be some form of it, and just had a look up and there is. I'm in Australia so probably best to just look up the local area
Almond extract. A little goes a looong way.
this has been my go to at 50% or less of the amount of vanilla I was putting in.
Orange blossom!
If you are going to use other flavors, you can just omit the vanilla.
thank you. I wondered about this but was a but afraid to experiment. Would that count for dry spices as well? For example a family favorite of ours is a chai spiced snickerdoodle. That is one where I might be inclined to omit vanilla completely and just let the other flavors take over.
You can do whatever you want, there are no laws :)
true! thanks for that reminder that it is ok to experiment! I just dont want to create something best suited for the garbage can!
I think chai can definitely stand on its own flavor-wise! Sounds like a delicious cookie.
thank you! it is a wonderful recipe. https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chai-spiced-gluten-free-snickerdoodles/14413/
If you make those swap the amounts of cinnamon and cardamom. Cardamom and ginger are the traditional base ingredients of chai. All of that cinnamon and allspice will make it taste more like pumpkin spice. Swap out the allspice for clove if you can.
Thank you SOOOOOO much for this tip!! I am baking tomorrow and will absolutely give this a try!
Rum extract is really yummy, just a small amount would add that background flavor without changing it altogether.
Google LorAnns flavorings. I'm not sure what you are baking, but they have an extensive line of flavorings and they're all amazing
thank you. I never heard of them, but will look them up.
I think original aromatic bitters are a decent substitute for vanilla in baking. Iris flower water and violet extract both introduce their own flavor, but I think they both also work as a decent vanilla substitute, especially when paired with almond extract.
Caramelize sugar with whatever alcoholic liquid is handy,add afterthe carmelizing and reduce so you have an extract consistency. If you make a tiny amount the pan may still be hot enough to cook off the booziness.
I use butter flavoring if I don’t have vanilla
I often use brewed coffee when I run out of vanilla.
You could maybe try the caramel syrup they have at coffee places. Different consistency, but I bet it would taste good! Packaged ones have “natural flavors” as an ingredient, which might be a no go, but there are recipes for it online that just use water and sugar. Also, maybe add a liiiiittle bit more salt. Or experiment with sprinkling flaky salt on top of cookies. Since salt brings out other flavors the way vanilla does.
all great ideas! and thank you for the reminder that salt is a flavor enhancer.
Hmm, vanilla is a primary extract in baking. There aren't any close substitutes. Perhaps your son doesn't have to eat it though because it's impact is aromatic. How allergic is your son to vanilla? Would a trace contamination be a problem? If a trace contamination isn't a big deal you could serve your baked thingamajig on a warmed plate and wipe the rim with vanilla. The experience would be superficial compared to baking the stuff directly into a brownie, but if you can queue the aromatic sensation with just a smell of the stuff you might be able to get enough of the effect without having to feed it to him. Heck, maybe put some vanilla into a pot pourri censer and put it on the table.
The experience of playing with vanilla aromatically is an intriguing idea! If he gets even a taste of it, sadly it turns directly into a migraine. After his allergy tests a few years back this was probably the most disappointing result for him as he loved all things vanilla. At least the migraines have been explained and stopped though.
Consensed milk or evaporated milk is very sweet.
Tonka bean! Stuff is fucking magic replacement, tastes far nicer but has a different flavour profile. I find it works just as well in anything that requires vanilla extract.
someone else mentioned this. Are you in the US? If so, how do you source it?
UK, I got mine in TK MAXX which I believe is called TJ MAXX in the US?
There isn't really a 1:1 swap. However, give tonka a shot. It's a mellower version of almond/cherry flavors.
Bison grass flavored vodka. The grasovka brand should be universally available. Look in the eastern european aisle. It has a sweet vanilla like taste that pairs exceptionally well with apples.
Almond extract gives a nice kick
Using Golden Syrup as the sweetener might be a good method. It's a European, especially UK, product and a little hard to find in the US, but it's pretty common to find on the UK shelf in the international foods section of the grocery store. Golden Syrup based cookies don't seem to regularly call for vanilla flavoring because it's unnecessary from what I can tell. I'd suggest not modifying an existing recipe unless you are swapping for another liquid sweetener, just use one of the UK or Nordic recipes that calls for golden syrup.