Can you guess? I’m referring to vanilla bean paste. It’s a gourmet ingredient that brings luxury, elegance, and beauty to both your table and palate.

Luxury? Well, it’s on the expensive side. But it delivers a HUGE bang for the buck. Elegance? Smelling and tasting the warm and intense aroma of the vanilla bean, and savoring the vanilla pod’s rich flavor makes vanilla bean paste distinctly special. And beauty? Seeing gorgeous flecks of vanilla bean seeds throughout your end product is a feast for the eyes.

To have the experience of cooking and baking with an alternative to vanilla extract (which has been diffused with alcohol and leaves an aftertaste), is something every home cook should have. It’s that extraordinary.

Vanilla bean paste is a sweet, thick ingredient that combines the best qualities of pure vanilla extract and vanilla pods. When used in recipes like pound cake, muffins, sugar cookies, puddings, whipped cream, or ice cream, you can see gorgeous flecks of vanilla seeds throughout, because vanilla bean paste incorporates the seeds scraped directly from the vanilla bean pod.

But don't stop at dessert: Vanilla bean paste is also a wonderful addition to smoothies, oatmeal, homemade tea and coffee beverages, hot chocolate, simple syrups, pancakes, French toast, and more. Any recipe that calls for vanilla extract will do way better with vanilla bean paste.

There is a 1:1 ratio between vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract, so one teaspoon of vanilla bean paste is the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. If you are working with a recipe that calls for one whole vanilla bean pod, that is the equivalent of about one tablespoon of this paste.

But back to the luxury/expensive part. If you’ve ever shopped for vanilla bean paste, you already know it’s expensive. And even though a little goes a long way, if you’re budget-conscious, vanilla bean paste probably won’t make the cut on your grocery list. HOWEVER, there is one glimmer of hope if you really want to try this product. This hope comes from Trader Joe’s in their Bourbon Vanilla Bean Paste.

Its availability can be sporadic, so I always call them before I go. Right now, they have it, so I’ll be getting a few jars before they disappear from the shelves. Truly—once you try this ingredient, you’ll understand why one jar isn’t enough. Trader Joe’s vanilla bean paste is $4.99 for 4 ounces. Seems like a lot—it’s almost $1.25/ounce. But get this: NATIVE vanilla bean paste is $14.99 for 4 ounces (almost $3.75/ounce), CATTLE TRUCK’s is $39.95 for 8 ounces (almost $5/ounce), and Nielsen-Massey’s is $13.99 for 2 ounces (almost $7/ounce).

So with the difference in price, does that mean there’s a difference in quality? One would think. But this isn’t the case with Trader Joe’s. Just like their competitors, Trader Joe’s Organic Vanilla Bean Paste doesn’t skimp. It’s made with authentic Madagascar vanilla, and there are tons of vanilla bean seeds per teaspoon. The aroma is rich and powerful, the flavor is impressive. It’s highly concentrated (meaning it won’t water down your recipe) and it incorporates beautifully when you bake and cook with it.

Finally, it also has a great shelf life: No need to stress about whether or not your Trader Joe’s vanilla bean paste will go to waste if you stock up for months to follow. Sealed, this ingredient will stay good for months in the pantry. It’s noted for retaining its quality for up to 2 years, unopened.

I know I sound like an info-mercial. But I don’t work for Trader Joe’s, and I don’t get any remuneration if our readers were to buy this ingredient. I just LOVE this stuff and am in awe of the difference it makes in my baked goods. To me, it’s almost unethical not to tell you about it.

With my disclaimer out of the way, let’s look at a recipe that is perfect for vanilla bean paste. Give this pudding a try. It’s smooth, creamy, and so vanilla-fragrant. This is superb for banana cream pie and eclairs, by the way! (I thank www.allrecipes.com for sharing this gem.)




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