How This Little Ingredient Can Transform Mediocre Cookies Into Bakery‑worthy Treats

While chocolate ice cream lovers may call it basic, vanilla is a rich and complex flavor that adds depth to whatever it touches. Made from the fruit of the vanilla orchid, the bean pods are soaked in a high proof alcohol to extract their flavor, color, scent, and even medicinal properties. When it comes to putting vanilla extract in a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, folks on the internet seem to be split. Some say you aren't missing much without it, while others feel it's a must.  Christina Tosi, chef and owner of Milk Bar, is in the latter camp. She told out sister site Chowhound that using vanilla is a non-negotiable for top notch CCCs. 

"Whether you realize it or not, vanilla will make or break any chocolate chip cookie," Tosi explained, adding, "It's an essential part of the base dough, it cues a distinct color, aroma, and flavor that is the entryway in for the velvety pockets of chocolate chip in every bite." Depending on where it's grown, vanilla can have a flavor profile that ranges from sweet to spicy, woody to floral, and downright fruity. Though sweet and creamy flavors tend to dominate dishes, vanilla comes in and adds more layers to chocolate chip cookies. Without it, everything seems to fall a little flatter.

Adding to the flavor profile isn't the only benefit to putting vanilla extract in your chocolate chip cookies. It also complements your other ingredients by bringing their distinct flavors forward in a cleaner way: The butter tastes richer, the sugar tastes rounder, and don't get us started on the chocolate. "'If it grows together, it goes together' is a phrase we often use in the kitchen when combining flavors or looking to enhance a recipe," Christina Tosi told Chowhound. "Chocolate and vanilla grow right next to one another, so it makes sense!"

Now, we don't mean to be picky, but the type of vanilla you use is crucial here. Using a paste or the vanilla seeds isn't the move if you're looking for a perfectly-balanced cookie. The taste of vanilla will be far too strong, Tosi said. A teaspoon of extract, however is right on the money. If you're wondering whether you should use imitation vanilla or the real stuff, it depends on your goal. The imitation kind differs from real vanilla in that it is made from synthetic vanillin, which is extracted from wood pulp and chemically altered. As such, it can have a much more concentrated vanilla flavor than your homemade vanilla extract recipe. However, the faux iteration is one-note. When you don't use an extract made with real vanilla beans, you miss the extraordinary depth of flavor that only they can bring.

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