How to Use Vanilla Extract Like a Pro at Home
Whether you bake every weekend or only for birthdays and holidays, vanilla extract probably lives in your kitchen. But are you using it to its full potential?
Here at Whisk Takers Bake Shop, we’re deep into the vanilla world right now — crafting our own homemade extract and exploring how even the smallest splash of real vanilla can totally change a recipe.
Here are a few of our favorite ways to make the most of it at home — no pastry degree required.
🍪 1. Use It to Enhance Flavor, Not Just Add It
A lot of people think of vanilla as a flavoring, but in most recipes, it works more like a flavor enhancer — rounding out sweetness, softening bitterness, and deepening complexity.
Try adding it:
To cookie dough right after the butter and sugar mix
In your cake batter before the dry ingredients go in
With your eggs when whisking custards or French toast batter
You’ll get more balance and warmth in the final flavor.
☕ 2. Don’t Stop at Dessert
Vanilla extract isn’t just for cookies and cakes. Once you start experimenting with it, it shows up everywhere:
Coffee or lattes – A few drops in the pot or cup
Homemade whipped cream – Adds instant bakery-level flavor
Pancakes or waffles – Mix a teaspoon into your batter
Oatmeal or overnight oats – Stir in just before serving
Smoothies – Adds depth without added sugar
Maple syrup – Mix with a little extract for something special
You can even try it in savory sauces that call for a little sweetness, like balsamic glazes or BBQ marinades.
🧂 3. Store It Right for Long-Term Flavor
Real vanilla extract should be stored the same way we steep it: in a cool, dark place. No need to refrigerate — in fact, that can dull the flavor.
Just keep it:
Away from heat (not next to your oven)
Out of direct sunlight (skip the windowsill)
If you're using homemade extract, amber or dark glass bottles help protect it — and regular shaking (every couple weeks) helps keep the flavor evenly distributed.
🥄 4. Be Smart With Measurements
A little goes a long way — especially when it’s high quality. Start with:
½ to 1 teaspoon in cookies or bars
1–2 teaspoons in cakes, frostings, or custards
¼ teaspoon for drinks or small-batch recipes
Pro tip: If you’re using imitation vanilla in a recipe and want to upgrade to real extract, start with the same amount — you’ll get more flavor, not more volume.
Vanilla might seem like a background player, but when it’s real, it shines. That’s why we’re so excited to bring our own homemade extract to the table — and why we love sharing ways to use it beyond baking.
👇 Want your own bottle when it’s ready?
Join the waitlist here
