Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste Review

Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste
Gifted By: Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc.
www.nielsenmassey.com
Reviewed by Danielle Zimmerman, Editor of TheBestDessertRecipes.com

It's no secret that to make quality desserts, you need quality ingredients. In other words, a dessert is only as good as its ingredients! Sure, recipes made with cake mix or other affordable ingredients will taste delightful, but nothing beats the flavor of a treat made with higher quality components.

When it comes to vanilla products, Nielsen-Massey is by far the best. Their labels boast that their products are of the "Finest Quality," and for good reason. I was fortunate enough to be able to try their Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste and I can tell you that it's like nothing I've ever tasted before.

In all honesty, I've never baked with vanilla bean paste before. I've always stuck with just vanilla extract. So, I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency and even the flavor of the paste. While I was expecting the paste to be kind of thick and sticky, it's really smooth and slightly thinner than I thought it would be. It also has a pleasant caramel color to it as well a high concentration of tiny vanilla seeds, neither of which I was really anticipating.

As classy and impressive as the vanilla bean paste looks, it tastes even better. I had always thought that vanilla bean paste would taste like a thicker version of vanilla extract or essence, it has its own flavor personality to it. Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste isn't nearly as harsh-tasting as normal vanilla extract. This vanilla bean paste has a warm and sweet flavor that almost becomes velvety the more you try it. Not that I actually ever would, but I could potentially see myself sampling just a smidge of the bean paste right out of the bottle whenever my sweet tooth starts acting up. It just has such a whole and satisfying vanilla flavor that I've never had the opportunity to enjoy before.

The bean paste is perfect for adding vanilla flavor to recipes without thinning or thickening their consistency, making it perfect for glazes and other creamy recipes (savory or sweet). Plus, with all of the tiny vanilla seeds, it adds quite a visual appeal. I mixed a bit to my generic grocery store vanilla ice cream and it made all the difference. Not only did my ice cream look fancier, but the paste also gave the ice cream a much more satisfying vanilla flavor. I can't wait to experiment more with it in my kitchen.

After trying Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste, I will never be able to look at vanilla or vanilla bean paste the same way ever again. It's just so good.