How To Use Vanilla If You Can't Use Alcohol
Baking By nancylee61 Updated 8 Feb 2014 , 7:11pm by tdovewings
Hi,
I don't drink at all - and most recipes call for real vanilla in the buttercream frostings. How can I use vanilla when I don't drink? How can I taste the frosting? I know when it is baked in, it is fine, but raw, the alcohol in vanilla could cause an allergic reaction.
I am sure there are others who don't use alcohol. Ideas?
Thanks,
Nancy
Some places actually do make "alcohol free" extracts. I have never used them so I can't attest to the taste or the price. Here's the first link that showed up from a Google search:
http://cooksvanilla.com/category/21/Alcohol-Free-Flavors.html
If you're allergic to alcohol, be aware that the all of the alcohol will not burn off during cooking, there will always be some (even if trace) amount left in the product.
Scrape out the insides of a vanilla bean... mix with whatever liquid you are using in your buttercream or mix directly into your buttercream... Never done it, but it may work...
Check out vanilla bean paste... I am not sure if it contains alcohol... I don't have any in the cupboard right now to check...
If you make italian or french buttercream, you can simmer vanilla beans in the sugar syrup before you make the frosting.It will impart a nice vanilla flavor.
Also, use the vanilla beans from simmering, dry them out and put them in sugar to flavor the granulated sugar. you can use this sugar to make your buttercreams.
They also make vanilla powder.
It is a common misconception that the alcohol burns off. It does, but at a radically slower rate than people presume. That said, the amount of alcohol any individual would consume from a vanilla cake and classic frosting is in the one milliliter or less range.
So if for personal or medical reasons you are avoiding alcohol, try the things above and you will have great complex flavor.
Two possible choices - 1. Vanilla paste (This is what I use.)
2. Vanilla powder- (This is expensive if you get the good stuff.)
The drawback on both of these is that you will have little brown flecks of ground vanilla beans in your frosting. Of course you can just tell people that it a sign that you are using real vanilla not cheap imitation. I heard my nephew tell his girl friend, "See the little brown flecks, she used the good stuff in this."
Vanilla paste, powder and sugar can all be used in Swiss. I don't know if you'll get as much from the bean in the eggwhites, but you could try one. The other meringue buttercreams easily allow for the bean to be steeped. You might want to try one to see if you like it.
You can make your own alcohol free vanilla flavoring - I won't call it extract since it doesn't use alcohol. It's really easy to make.
some vanilla bean pastes have extract listed in the ingredients so be sure to read the labels--
You can make your own alcohol free vanilla flavoring - I won't call it extract since it doesn't use alcohol. It's really easy to make.
I'm trying the glycerin method (sans hot water) with some coconut off of the tree in the front yard. I made coconut chips like the ones at Trader Joe's, managed to not eat all of them, put some in a glass jar and then poured glycerin over it. I completely forgot about until yesterday, when opened a drawer (dark place) and found it. This coconut has been steeping for a couple of months now, so it should be right coconutty
Trader Joe's sells alcohol free vanilla extract at a really good price, for future reference.
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