It coincides with the "Great Scone Recipe Search."
I
scones. I fell deeply for them when I was in London, during a proper tea, topping my warm scone with cream and jam. I wanted my very own.
Along comes The Pioneer Woman, and she posted not that long ago a recipe for
petite vanilla scones that look dreadfully easy. (I still want her book. I was ogling it over the weekend at Barnes and Noble.) I wanted to make them and I had all the ingredients except for vanilla beans. I thought, "Well I can easily pick that up at the supermarket." Then I stopped and thought about it. Do you ever see vanilla beans just hanging out at the market? I don't think I ever have at my local Safeway. I scoured the aisles, and discovered in the spice aisle...
HOLY CRAP ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
And this is for TWO vanilla beans. Not a jar full of them. Two. Why are these things so expensive? From the
Spice House:
A member of the orchid family, the vanilla flower is the only one of 350 species of orchids to produce an edible product. The first harvest of the vine does not occur for at least 3 years, giving a maximum harvest after about 8 years. When the flower on the vine blossoms, it must be hand-pollinated during the one or two days in which it blooms. It takes 4-9 months for the vanilla pods to mature and they are picked just as their color changes from green to yellow.
Next time you have vanilla bean ice cream and smell the delicious vanilla in there, think about how long it took to get into your ice cream. Then devour it.
There is a slightly cheaper one at Safeway:
Of course, all gone, so I couldn't even check to see how many were in the jar.
During my google search, I discovered I could get Vanilla bean paste to substitute for a vanilla bean at Trader Joe's, but alas, they didn't have it at Trader Joe's! Boo! Apparently it is seasonal. I'll have to keep searching for a better deal on vanilla beans, or find a different scone recipe (which I may do, since there are so many out there.)
But I did pick this up at TJ's:
Only 1.99! Brownies anyone? How about chocolate cupcakes?
This is the best price I've seen for cocoa powder - Target wants $3 something for the Hershey's cocoa powder. What I also liked about the TJ's cocoa powder is that there were only two ingredients - chocolate and I believe oil. Sold!
What sweet treats have you made recently?
True
Comments (7)
check your local health food store... we have a natures pantry here and i get my vanilla beans there for a few dollars (3? maybe 4) for 2 beans.
Do you have a World Market near you? I paid $2.99 for two beans last time I was there. I knew it was a good price so I snatched 'em up even though I wasn't sure what to do with them (the closest one is an hour and half away so I figured I better get 'em while I was there). Thanks for supplying me with a use for them!
As for yummy sweet treats...check out Taste of Home's website and search for Peanutbutter Bars. Family favorite for years!
Buy them online! I got a dozen of madagascar beans for $25. but if you don't need that many, try this:
http://www.amazon.com/Beanilla-Vanilla-5-Madagascar-Beans/dp/B000O9T4FY
Do NOT buy 2 for 14 at the store!
man i love vanilla...
A great source for truly Grade A, HUGE (8''!) vanilla beans is Beanilla.com. Beanilla Trading Company has 8 different types of vanilla beans too... so you can experiment with many different flavors. My favorites are Madagascar and Tonga.
Check them out. I believe the Madagascar beans are around $1.50 each!
A friend of mine who is a food science major told me that the vanilla bean can no longer pollinate on its own because the only insect that would do/was capable of it it is now extinct. The hand pollination is why they cost so much more money.
The sweet treats I've tried making recently are chocolate brownies, chocolate buttermilk cake and red velvet cake. I love to bake! But I have yet to purchase a vanilla bean, as they are really expensive. After you scrape the seeds from the bean, you should add the pod to a container of sugar to make vanilla sugar for future baked goods.
@kpsmom3@xanga - Don't think I've ever noticed vanilla beans at World Market! I'm going to look for them next time I go there...but sadly the number of stores within "reasonable" driving distance have been greatly reduced. I love looking at the imported food products there.