Time to make Vanilla for the Holidays! {Beanilla Giveaway}
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Can you believe the holiday season is just a few short months away?! Thanksgiving is just 77 days away! What the what?!!!!
Many of us do some amount of baking for the holidays, whether it’s just a batch of your favorite cookies, fudge wreath, or baking for a holiday party or gift giving. Chances are your recipes are going to call for vanilla. Vanilla extract and vanilla beans are such essential items in a holiday baking spice cabinet.
Last year I shared how easy and much more economical it is to make your own vanilla. It’s so simple to make but needs to sit at least 6-8 weeks before you can use it, so get started now to have plenty of vanilla extract on hand for your holiday baking. Download and Print the free homemade vanilla labels Kelly made and you’ll have a fantastic gift ready to pass out to friends and family in December.
You’ll notice vanilla beans can be pretty pricy at the grocery store, so if you plan to make more than one bottle of extract I highly suggest purchasing your beans online, from places such as at Beanilla.com. right now they have 25 Madagascar Vanilla Beans for $25 + FREE shipping! that’s a fantastic price!
Now is the time to make vanilla for the holidays
- recipe and step-by step instructions to make homemade vanilla extract
- download and print free Homemade Vanilla label
- shop beanilla.com for vanilla beans and bottles
WIN IT! GIVEAWAY ENDED
My friends at Beanilla would like to help two lucky TidyMom readers get their vanilla going this year with an awesome $150 prize pack of vanilla making supplies!
Each winner will receive:
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 5 Madagascar Vanilla Beans
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 5 Tonga Vanilla Beans
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 5 Indonesian Vanilla Beans
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 5 Mexican Vanilla Beans
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 5 Ugandan Vanilla Beans
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 5 Indian Vanilla Beans
- 1 Package (vacuum sealed) of 3 Tahitian Vanilla Beans (Tahiti)
- 7 Clear Glass Bottles, 8.5 oz w/ Swingtop
- 1 Vanilla Bean Sampler (7 glass vials containing 3 beans of each variety)
How to enter:
- leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite recipe with vanilla!
- Then simply complete the steps in the giveaway widget below. Personal information will not be shared or used for any kind of mailing list, it’s simply used by me to select and contact the winner.
If you don’t see the widget, be patient because it might take a minute to load (especially with Internet Explorer 9). Or you can click here to for the entry form if you have any questions, you can contact me via email
Disclaimer: this post is a collaboration with Beanilla. All opinions, views and love of vanilla are all my own.
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
Tidymom is a participant in the amazon services llc associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Please respect my work, recipes and photographs. If you do use a recipe in your own writing, please give proper credit and link back to the original post.
I use a splash of vanilla in almost everything. My favorites are a splash in my coffee along with a splash of cream, vanilla bean ice cream, and warm vanilla cinnamon scones.
Made it last year to give as gifts! It was wonderful and I loved the process!
I’m a huge vanilla fan! A classic, traditional, vanilla-vanilla cupcake with rainbow sugared sprinkles is my favorite vanilla treat. I am making vanilla for the holidays for the first time ~ this kit would just be the greatest for that endeavor!
I love the Kentucky Butter Rum cake recipe from Southern Lady Cooks…..that is the one that has a sauce I love to work with and try different vanilla flavors….
Vanilla Shortbread Cookies and Homemade Whipped Cream
I LOVE vanilla in everything I bake but especially buttercream frosting!
I love to make my own Vanilla flavors. I use fresh vanilla in everything.
Like many others above I put vanilla in a good amount of the things I bake. I love it in my homemade whip cream, French toast and every now and then a little in my cream for coffee. Delish! Thank you for a chance to win!!
It’s not much of a recipe (and I have so many with vanilla that I love), but a few drops of quality vanilla in my homemade chai latte every day brings immense peace and joy. It’s my morning meditation.
I use vanilla in so many things that I cook. Right now, I’m making these pancakes almost daily for my daughter.
Yummy Eggless Pancakes (good vanilla makes a big difference!)
1 cup Flour
1 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
A dash of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
2 T oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Mix dry ingredients. Combine wet ingredients and slowly mix these wet ingredients into the dry mixture. You can make them any size, but I usually scoop out the pancake mixture a 1/3 cup at a time on a pan that is at low heat. Flip when there are bubbles starting to show. Enjoy!
Vanilla! It’s the finest of the flavors.
Oh man, homemade icing for cinnamon rolls! I don’t have a “recipe” for it, because I always just throw it together! Cream cheese, a little milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla bean paste. Mix to taste/desired consistency! Sometimes I add a little orange juice, or some raspberries… It’s to die for!
Homemade sugar cookies for the holidays!
I love Vanilla Pudding!
Oh, vanilla. Such a lovely smell and ingredient. I made a few small bottles this year as wedding hostess gifts and they were a huge hit. To give each an even more special touch, I wrapped them in a dish towel and attached a note with ways they could use the vanilla. I personally love to use my homemade vanilla in anything and everything- cupcakes, ice cream, cream cheese bars… the list could go on and on.
My favorite kind of homemade vanilla is using Fluffed Marshmallow Vodka and Madagascar vanilla beans.
I love making cherry vanilla jam. TY for the great giveaway!
I like vanilla for cooking, soaps, body scrubs. It’s a homey relaxing sent!
Vanilla is the basic flavoring in almost everything I bake. I love the aroma of it cooking in most everything.
My daughter-in-law’s vanilla ice cream recipe!
My new favorite vanilla recipe is panna cotta! I’m completely addicted to the simplicity yet pure decadence of it. 🙂
Sugar cookies
I love making vanilla ice cream.
My favorite vanilla recipe is rice pudding.
My Grandmothers Caramel Frosting recipe, (which is what is requested for every birthday I do!), I recently had a dinner party for my moms birthday, I made to chocolate fudge cakes and made the Caramel Frosting, I accidentally forgot the vanilla in the first batch, it through off the taste of the whole cake, luckily I caught the mistake before the second batch, major difference, the frosting was picked off the cake after it was initially served!!!
I put vanilla in ice at home and make vanilla ice for my pepsi:)
I like using it in my cheesecake recipe.
My vanilla bean no churn ice cream. ! can condensed milk, 2 cups cold heavy cream, 2 tsp homemade vanilla, 1 vanilla bean scraped. Whip cream until stiff. Fold in condensed milk that has had the vanilla and the scraped bean stirred in. place in a metal pan (I use a metal loaf pan) and freeze at least 6 hours. Yummy!
lol that ! before the can condensed milk should be a 1.
Snickerdoodles
Home made Pound cake. It is amazing!
chocolate chip cookies
I’ve been using vanilla in protein shakes lately, homemade would make it even better.
My favorite recipe using vanilla is vanilla ice cream. I mix 4 egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, add 2 cans of coconut milk then heat it on the stovetop till it thickens & coats the back of the spoon. Take it off the fire, add 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, cool. Put in ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes. Delish!
I use my Vanilla for the following recipe from Food Network. ENJOY!!! GOOD LUCK =)
We visited Aida Mollenkamp, host of Ask Aida, at home in San Francisco to learn how to make her go-to party dessert.
Ingredients
1 vanilla bean
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
8 large egg yolk
1/2 cup plus 8 teaspoons superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Prepare the vanilla: Halve the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
Infuse the cream: Bring the cream, half-and-half and vanilla seeds and pod to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to infuse the cream with the vanilla, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the vanilla pod. Remove the cream mixture from the heat and cool slightly. Meanwhile, bring a kettle of water to a boil.
Make the custard.
Whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale yellow and thick; it should leave a trail when you lift the whisk. Pour in the cream mixture in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Skim off any foam or bubbles from the surface.
Pour into ramekins: Arrange eight 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan and divide the custard evenly among them.
Bake in a water bath: Pull out the oven rack slightly, place the roasting pan on it and pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake until the custards are just set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath and transfer to the refrigerator. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
Prepare the topping: About 30 minutes before serving, sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over each custard. Tilt the ramekins to evenly distribute the sugar and tap out any excess.
Caramelize the sugar: Holding a kitchen torch about three inches away, burn the sugar until it turns a deep amber. Refrigerate the creme brulees just until the crust hardens, 30 minutes to 1 hour, but not longer (the topping may start to soften). Serve cold.
Photographs by James Carriere
Cheesecake and cookies!
Mexican Cookies.
I learned to make these in Mexico. Everyone loves them.
I am going to be adding homemade vanilla extract to some of my natural essential8 products.
Oh gosh, just one recipe? This is a yummy pound cake recipe. I use not only vanilla extract but vanilla bean paste too.
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Southern Living November 2001
My favorite recipe with vanilla is my mom’s buttercream icing. Every time I make it I am left with happy memories of helping my mom in the kitchen
I would say my favorite recipe would be my cheesecake.
There is not one single recipe that I love to use vanilla in. I use it in everything! I bake for my coworkers so we can have threats at work. Everyone loves everything I bring in!
Is it terrible to say whipped cream? Straight out of the bowl? LOL
Favorite recipe is vanilla ice bream using real vanilla beans, real whipping cream and ice. I mix it up in my ninja with some real sugar and it is so delicious
I’m in love with Vanilla flavored sugar in my coffee.
Homemade vanilla bean ice cream…Yummy
vanilla bean cheesecake
I love the chocolate chip recipe my mom used. It’s probably the one from the Nestle Toll House package but I the copy I have is hand written by her so every time I make cookies, it’s like she’s with me.
Nothing quite shows off the vanilla-y flavor of vanilla like ice cream. Alton’s recipe is the best foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/serious-vanilla-ice-cream-recipe/index.html
Vanilla bean scones…yum!
cookies