Pure Vanilla is the second book by Shauna Sever. I reviewed her first book Marshmallow Madness earlier this year. I am a total vanilla freak. Vanilla is pretty much the foundation of every baked good. What’s not to love about it? I even once got a comment that one of my recipes was too vanilla-ey :-P I love vanilla but I always viewed it as more of a component or one part of a recipe.
I never knew much about vanilla except it’s expensive and comes in a bottle from the supermarket. The book covers the history of vanilla, different kinds of varieties and the regions it’s grown in. I never realized that there was so much to know! As soon as I read the introduction I went online and bought a few different kinds of beans to experiment with.
Besides the very thorough introduction chapter the book has chapters covering breakfast, cake and pies, cookies and bars, candies, custards and drinks. I made three recipes from the book. The Vanilla Granola was the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten for breakfast! The Twinkie Bundt Cake was fun and delicious. I also made the vanilla fruit from the breakfast chapter but we weren’t crazy about the way it tasted.
I enjoyed this book and the thought that vanilla can be the star of the show rather than just a component has opened up a whole new string of creative ideas!
Quirk sent me a copy of Pure Vanilla to review
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That vanilla granola looks amazing! I’m also a vanilla fan and I made my own vanilla extract last year which I’m bottling for presents this year – it’s so easy to make if you have the pods on hand :)
Your twinkie bundt cake looks fab! I got it too and I’m making vanilla sandwich cookies and homemade vanilla extract – can’t wait !
I have the same book and loved it. The granola was amazing! I really want to make the Twinkie bundt now :)