Vain Vanilla Original Baker's Blend Pure Vanilla Extract
This small-batch vanilla extract from Kansas-based Vain Vanilla is prepared completely by hand using only the best ingredients. The Original Baker's Blend is made with top-shelf rum that emphasizes vanilla's sweet characteristics and adds its own cane-sugar dimension. We especially love that Vain Vanilla leaves its vanilla pods in the bottle, which has two benefits. First, over time the extract will continue to deepen in color and become more complex as the pods release more flavor compounds. Second, when you're done with the vanilla extract, you can still slice open the pods and use the beans themselves in your desserts.
Embe Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
These organic, unsweetened coconut flakes from embē are just that: pure and simple dessicated coconut. Sliced into wide, light, snowy white flakes, the shavings cook down beautifully in dishes, delivering a more pleasant texture than stringy grocery store shreds. They have a mild, fresh coconut flavor—try them as a subtly crispy topping on yogurt, ice cream or savory dishes, or add to baking. The flakes come from organic coconuts grown in the Philippines with zero pesticides—every fruit is harvested at peak ripeness by family farmers, before being processed down into flakes in less than a week for maximum freshness (and they contain no corn syrup or preservatives, unlike mass-produced brands).
SAVA Trading Co. 100% Pure Madagascar Vanilla Extract
You'll never taste a vanilla extract like this: SAVA's Madagascar Vanilla Extract has a rounded smoothness and woody, earthy complexity that far surpass the medicinal, artificial-tasting extracts you'll find at the supermarket. In fact, the creamy-rich extract tastes on par with high-quality vanilla pastes we've tried—it truly captures the essence of a whole vanilla bean. The company partners with Malagasy farmers in Madagascar's northeastern Sava region, famous for its vanilla production, to source sustainably grown vanilla beans picked at peak maturity. By cutting out middleman costs, SAVA is able to directly pay farmers above-market prices for their premium vanilla and support local village economies.
Heilala Vanilla Paste
A favorite at Milk Street, this vanilla paste has deep, concentrated vanilla flavor. Made from vine-ripened Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans grown in the tropical South Pacific, Heilala’s paste is a combination of three-month cold-extracted vanilla extract mixed with vanilla bean seeds. Every bean used in Heilala’s production is hand-picked by farmers in Tonga. It works beautifully as an easy-to-use alternative to vanilla beans with stronger, more pure flavor than extract—one teaspoon is equivalent to one bean, without the waste or mess of attempting to scrape out seeds. Beyond superlative vanilla flavor, this paste has a sweet floral aroma, fruity and warm spiced notes and dark vanilla seeds, which add a beautiful speckle to baked goods and desserts.
India Tree Dark Muscovado Sugar
Conventional brown sugar is simply white, refined sugar moistened with molasses. On the other hand, raw muscovado sugar has a rich, earthy and almost smoky flavor, as well as a high molasses content. India Tree’s moist-textured variety, processed in Mauritius, can be substituted for dark brown sugar in any recipe (we tested this) or used to add extra flavor to coffee, tea or cocktails (perfect in an Old Fashioned).
Burlap & Barrel Grenada Gold Nutmeg
Though nutmeg is found on spice-rich tropical islands across the world, we much prefer the nutmeg from Grenada, where it’s so synonymous with their culture that it’s depicted on their national flag. This one is grown on a fourth-generation family farm from old-growth trees (a rarity after Grenada lost much of it’s nutmeg trees in 2004 after Hurricane Ivan) and it’s truly the gold standard. The spice is slightly citrusy and floral, with a woodsy tropical warmth and eucalyptus-like freshness. Each jar holds 6-8 whole nutmeg pods.
Burlap & Barrel Tanzanian Ground Cinnamon Verum
This single-origin Ground Cinnamon Verum from the Zanzibar islands is Ceylon cinnamon, also known as true cinnamon for its superior quality, delicate flavor and health benefits. We love how the aroma is noticeably sweeter and more floral than conventional cassia cinnamon—this product is also fresher than other brands we've tasted, so you can fully appreciate its unique characteristics.
Burlap & Barrel Buffalo Ginger
This heirloom Buffalo Ginger from the mountains of northern Vietnam has an intense vibrancy and a spicy-sweet aroma like gingerbread. Compared to store-bought versions, it's much more nuanced in flavor, with earthy and floral notes and a cleaner taste overall.
Burlap & Barrel Cloud Forest Cardamom
The cloud forests of Guatemala create the ideal environment for cardamom to thrive—with plenty of rainfall, high altitude and a temperate climate—and this varietal shows how much of a difference that environment makes. It’s grown on one of Guatemala’s only single-estate farms up in the country’s mountainous area. The relatively low temperatures in the mountains during the three-month harvest season yield cardamom with higher levels of fragrant essential oils and, since these pods are allowed to ripen further than others, they produce a softer, sweeter, more nuanced taste. Encased in greenish yellow pods, this cardamom is sweet and tart, with the spice of ginger and fresh fruitiness of apricot. A touch of grassiness, pine and citrus yields a welcome freshness, while the intoxicating aroma shows just how much more complex and quality this cardamom is compared to those in grocery stores.
Burlap & Barrel Tanzanian Pemba Cloves
These organic sun-dried cloves are grown by a cooperative of small artisan farms in the islands of Zanzibar and come from some of the oldest clove trees in the world. Burlap and Barrel is the only U.S. importer of cloves from Zanzibar, which was once the world's largest producer of the spice but has been overshadowed by industrial farms that utilize plantation-style cultivation. Hand-picked and hand-sorted for consistently high quality and peak freshness, Pemba cloves have a lighter, more floral aroma and uniquely fruity flavor compared to the woody, earthier notes of conventional cloves. And because Zanzibari cloves have a significantly higher percentage of essential oils than other varieties, these distinct characteristics are even more pronounced.
Crown Maple Maple Pearls
Fold Maple Pearls into Buttermilk Biscuits or scones for a maple-flavored twist on the classics, or add to cookie recipes such as our rich Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies; they're also easy to crush or grind into granulated maple sugar for any recipe. At breakfast, we like to sprinkle Maple Pearls over oatmeal in place of maple syrup for added texture, especially with buttery and nutty flavors—try them with Browned Butter Apple Oatmeal. Or add to crunchy salads for a sweet accent; the maple flavor complements the crunchy candied pecans perfectly in our Apple and Fennel Salad with Candied Pecans.
- Net Weight: 4.5 ounces
- Ingredients: Pure organic maple sugar
- Certifications: Organic
- Place of Origin: Dutchess County, New York
