slice of vanilla cake with vanilla frosting - Nata_vkusidey/Getty Images We're all familiar with vanilla extract. It's called for in virtually every baking or dessert recipe, and it's probably the ...

Don't be fooled. These aren't all vanilla. December means baking—sugar cookies and shortbread cut into trees and stars, decorated with icing; fruitcake and Bûche de Noël for the French side of the ...

Vanilla bean seeds are useful for many recipes, but can be a pain to get out. If you have a couple of weeks until you need the seeds you can easily remove them by cutting off the ends of the beans and ...

Pure vanilla extract is made from soaking vanilla beans in water and ethyl alcohol. It tends to have a stronger vanilla flavor than vanilla essence, or artificial vanilla extract. If you’ve made ...

Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner has spent over a decade working as a writer in New York City. She currently covers all aspects of food, dining, travel and lifestyle trends and the intersection of culture, ...

I'm still breaking in the ice cream maker I mentioned in my July 28 column. I let husband Joe pick the flavor for our most recent batch. His all-time favorite flavor is vanilla. But not just any ...

We're all familiar with vanilla extract. It's called for in virtually every baking or dessert recipe, and it's probably the ...