Nielsen-Massey Vanilla: Chocolate Chip Cookie Edition

Any baker worth her weight in unsalted butter knows that quality (re: not imitation) extracts can make a huge difference in your finished product.  I am the first to admit, however, that in fits of laziness or parsimony,  I have used extremely cheap generic extracts and the results have been fine. "Fine" being the key word.

Who wants to settle for "fine" baked goods? After testing Nielsen-Massey's Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract in a batch of chocolate chip cookies, I feel such shame over my past culinary indiscretions.

(Truth be told, I also feel pretty full, having binged on too many delicious cookies.)

When using lower quality vanilla extracts, it is often necessary to double or even triple the recipe's recommended amount to achieve a discernible taste of vanilla.  In the case of this extract, just a small allowance yielded salient smoky vanilla notes in the cookies.  This robust flavor provided a terrific contrast to the equally strong milk chocolate components.

Multiple factors come into play in the production of chewy divine chocolate chip cookies, and while your choice in extract cannot claim all the credit, Nielsen-Massey definitely deserves a hat-tip on this one.