Vanilla extract is serious business to us — take a glance at any of our dessert recipes and more often than not, you’ll find it included. To really find the best ones, we asked our entire editorial ...

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 ...

Both bring unmistakable flavor, but in different ways. Vanilla bean paste offers a richer, more complex flavor with visible specks that elevate both taste and presentation, while pure vanilla extract ...