Soom Premium Tahini
Many supermarket tahinis are over-roasted, which gives them an unpleasant, bitter flavor. They are also too thick and hard to stir into a creamy blend. Soom's tahini has a full, nutty flavor as well as a pourable and well-balanced texture, made from roasted and pressed premium white sesame seeds that have an ideal oil-to-protein ratio.
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.
Burlap & Barrel Royal Cinnamon
Also known as Saigon cinnamon, Royal Cinnamon is a hard-to-find heirloom variety that comes from the mountains of central Vietnam. Our recipe developers agreed it was the sweetest and brightest cinnamon we have ever tasted, with an aroma you can smell from across the room. It's clean-flavored and boldly spicy-sweet, yet with a delicate quality. To fully appreciate its flavor, we recommend trying Royal Cinnamon first in simple applications.
Masienda Blue Masa Harina
This finely ground, masa blue (corn) flour yields a more intense corn flavor than others we’ve tried, which truly sets it apart from lesser brands. It’s earthy and slightly sweet, with a bit more of a robust nuttiness than its white corn counterpart. Originally established to assist restaurants in creating their own in-house masa production programs, Masienda developed their sourcing and production methods with professional chefs in mind, so you know their focus is on flavor over just volume and speed. The primary purpose of masa is to make homemade tortillas and Masienda makes it easy—simply add warm water and mix for the perfect tortilla dough, no grinding or mortar and pestle necessary. When cooked, the tortillas will be pliable with a pleasant chew and, of course, packed with traditional corn flavor.
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.
Masienda White Masa Harina
This finely ground, masa (corn) flour yields a more intense corn flavor than others we’ve tried, which truly sets it apart from lesser brands. It’s earthy and slightly sweet. Originally established to assist restaurants in creating their own in-house masa production programs, Masienda developed their sourcing and production methods with professional chefs in mind, so you know their focus is on flavor over just volume and speed. The primary purpose of masa is to make homemade tortillas and Masienda makes it easy—simply add warm water and mix for the perfect tortilla dough, no grinding or mortar and pestle necessary. When cooked, the tortillas will be pliable with a pleasant chew and, of course, packed with traditional corn flavor.
Ash Creek Oregon Roasted Hazelnuts
Ash Creek’s Roasted Hazelnuts showcase the nuts’ rich, clean flavor, with no added salt or sugar. The producer cultivates the Jefferson varietal of hazelnut—known for its extra-buttery, bold, warm taste and generous size—in the fertile soil of the Willamette Valley. After the nuts are grown using sustainable methods on their family farm, Ash Creek roasts them until they’re golden brown yet still clinging to a bit of their flavorful skin.
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 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.
Cortez Milling Co. Blue Bird Flour 5#
This ultra-finely ground, high protein flour from Cortez Milling Co. in Southwest Colorado is perfect for making soft, tender, chewy tortillas and flat bread. They use red winter wheat purchased from local dryland farmers, whose higher gluten content makes dough that is pliable and resists tearing. This softer, more finely ground flour is neutral in flavor, a touch sweet with no bitterness. We also love that Blue Bird flour is bagged in 5-pound muslin cotton bags with the iconic blue bird print on the front, which can be repurposed in a number of fun ways.
Tastëlanghe IGP Piedmont Hazelnuts
Incredibly hard to find in the U.S., Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are considered some of the best in the world. Sweet, nutty and satisfyingly crunchy, these shelled, whole toasted ones are perfectly browned with a clean taste on the finish. Grown exclusively in the Langhe area of Piedmont, Italy, Tastëlanghe has been producing them since 1891. These hazelnuts will shine in dishes from sweet cakes, creams and cookies to savory salads. Or just snack on them whole.
Tastëlanghe Hazelnut Caramel
Incredibly hard to find in the U.S., Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are considered some of the best in the world. Grown exclusively in the Langhe area of Piedmont, Italy, Tastëlanghe has been producing them since 1891. In their Hazelnut (Nocciola) Caramel, those renowned hazelnuts turn into a creamy, rich, sweet caramelly spread with a hint of salt. Light in texture but deep in flavor, this spread is full of caramel flavor from a mixture of caramelized hazelnuts and milk that is cooked down to perfection. It’s like dulce de leche, but less dense and far more flavorful. Spoon it onto ice cream, cakes, cookies, or any baked good, spread on toast or eat straight from the jar!
Tastëlanghe Hazelnut Dark Chocolate Spread
Incredibly hard to find in the U.S., Tonda Gentile hazelnuts are considered some of the best in the world. Grown exclusively in the Langhe area of Piedmont, Italy, Tastëlanghe has been producing them since 1891. In their Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Nocciola Dark), those renowned hazelnuts turn into a creamy, rich, sweet dark chocolate spread. Light in texture but deep in flavor, this spread has just a hint of dark chocolate and intense notes of roasted hazelnuts. It’s like Nutella, but less dense, far more flavorful, and with only natural ingredients. Use it to spoon onto ice cream, cakes, cookies, or any baked good or anywhere you would Nutella, spread on toast, or eat straight from the jar!
Koy Pantry Antep Pistachio Butter
There are only two ingredients in Koy Pantry’s Pistachio Butter, but this textured nut spread is packed with intense flavor. Unlike other nut butters on the market that are dense and artificial-tasting, Koy Pantry’s rendition tastes only of pure pistachios, nothing else. Made from Antep pistachios, a Türkiye-grown nut renowned for its vibrant green color and creamy, buttery flavor, it’s sweet, nutty and bright—and perfectly spreadable, with a consistency similar to almond butter. All pistachios are carefully sourced and selected from local Turkish farms, then air-dried, cracked and ground with a bit of sugar for a flavorful—not cloying—result. Slather it on toast, cakes, cookies and pastries, whip into frosting, fold into batters or ice cream base, blend into a smoothie, stir into yogurt or eat it straight off the spoon. The possibilities are endless.
Vain Mexican Vanilla in Cane Rum
Mexico is believed to be the birthplace of vanilla, so it’s no wonder Mexican vanilla is such a beloved varietal of the staple baking ingredient. Vain’s small-batch Mexican vanilla extract is prepared completely by hand using only the best ingredients: top-shelf cane rum and pure Mexican vanilla beans. No artificial ingredients in sight. The combination highlights that familiar vanilla flavor while adding a spicy undertone reminiscent of cinnamon or nutmeg. The rum’s mellow sweetness pairs well with the smooth, creamy bean—which is thicker and darker than other varietals with a strong, rich fragrance. 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.