Mysterious Bean - Vanilla

All vanilla is not created equal.  Did you ever wonder where those vanilla beans come from?  Well, I can tell you.  They come from the vanilla orchid.  This orchid was originally found in what is now Mexico.  Now it is grown in most tropical parts of the world, particularly Mexico, Madagascar, and Indonesia.  It is the only orchid which produces an edible seed pod.

Vanilla is very expensive because it is very hard to grow.  And once you’ve got the plant to maturity,  it only flowers for one day and must be pollenated that  day.  Therefore, the pollination must be done manually.  Reminds one of detasseling corn, or topping tobacco plants.  A nasty, labor-intensive job.  And that is just the beginning.

So, it is no surprise that pure vanilla and vanilla beans are very expensive.  I have found that vanilla from Mexico is usually less expensive, but I prefer the flavor from Madagascar.  

Vanilla not only adds flavor to sweet foods, but it also serves to “blend” flavors.  Even though you might not be able to actually taste the vanilla you put in a recipe, you should still add it if it is called for because it will make your finished product more flavorful.

In ancient times vanilla was used as an aphrodisiac, but these days, it is mostly treated as a spice for adding flavor and scent to sweet dishes.  It is also used in aroma therapy.

You can buy vanilla in several forms, including:  powder, whole beans, or extract.  Extract is the most common and least expensive.  It is made by submerging the whole bean in vodka or bourbon for about 6 weeks.

It is possible to make your own, but I have not tried yet.  Will keep you posted if I do.

The recipe below is not fully Paleo if you use butter, but I usually make them using Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread - Soy Free and they worked fine.

Vanilla Cookies

Ingredients

3 eggs

3/4 cup almond flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine (cold, cut into chunks)

1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon honey

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.

2.Put all of your ingredients into your food processor . Turn on and process for about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Process again for another 30 seconds. You will need to do this (stop, scrape, process) until your dough is completely smooth and there are no chunks of butter left (it takes me about 3 times).

3.Fill your cookie press with the dough and whatever disk shape you've chosen. Pipe onto your parchment paper lined cookie sheet. The cookies will not spread or rise, so you can put them as close to each other as you like!

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes. If you don't have a cookie press but still want to make these, you can roll teaspoons of dough into a ball and flatten, then bake for 10-12 min.

5. When they come out of the oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes so they can firm up before moving them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. They cool very quickly! Once they are cool, you can decorate them if you like, or eat them plain. We like them just as they are :)

6. Makes about 3-4 dozen cookies. Store in the fridge or the freezer.