Why You Should Add Vanilla Bean Paste To Your Cookies

There are very few activities more delightful than baking homemade cookies to satisfy your sweet tooth. The luscious aroma that fills the atmosphere and the succulence of every fresh-out-of-the-oven bite creates an instant sense of nostalgic bliss. Thankfully, there exist countless styles of cookies around the world, including the ever-classic chocolate chip, jam-filled thumbprints, buttery shortbreads, spicy-sweet gingersnaps, and crispy Moravians, just to name a few.

The majority of traditional cookie recipes call for a handful of basic ingredients such as butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla. Vanilla, for one, is commercially available in a few different forms — extract, pods, and paste — all of which yield a rich and sweet fragrance. But have you ever tried adding vanilla bean paste to your cookies? Vanilla bean paste is praised by professional and home bakers alike due to its versatility, affordability, and overall effectiveness. 

If you want the beloved characteristics of pure, wholesome vanilla to take center stage in your next batch of cookies, here is why you should consider stocking up on jars of vanilla bean paste.

Vanilla bean paste is a simple, viscous, delicious swap for vanilla extract in virtually any dish, from cookies to cakes to ice creams and everything in-between. Cupcake Project shares that vanilla bean paste can be used as a 1:1 substitute for standard vanilla extract. For example, if a recipe calls for one tablespoon of vanilla extract, you can use one tablespoon of vanilla bean paste instead without altering the finished product — other than enhancing the taste, of course.

Vanilla bean paste is traditionally made from a mixture of vanilla seeds and natural emulsifiers to create a thick, smooth consistency. Nielsen-Massey, one of the world's bestselling vanilla brands, explains that paste is ideal for bakers who wish to achieve an intense vanilla flavor in their cookies, in addition to featuring the iconic tiny, dark-colored specks throughout the dough.

Vanilla bean paste is also the economical choice for many, as it costs significantly less than buying whole vanilla beans and has a shelf life of approximately three years, according to Bake Per Scratch.