Heilala Premium Vanilla Bean Paste, 13.52 oz | Bulk Size for Baking | Gourmet Bourbon Variety with Real Specks | Chef’s Choice | Ethically Sourced | Certified B Corp

I am not sure why there are so many bad reviews for this product. I make gourmet decorated cookies and the vanilla bean flavor using this product has gotten so many compliments. My customers love it!! Don't expect it to have a sweet smell or taste in the bottle/jar. The sugar or sweetener in your recipe combined with the vanilla bean paste makes a lovely vanilla smell and flavor. And the seeds look so nice in cookies, ice cream, etc. I love it! My customers love it! Don't judge it on smell or thickness of paste (it has tons of seeds in a honey like consistency!), give it a chance in your recipe in place of or in addition to your usual vanilla extract.

So I tried all vanillas basically. Why? Because I run a distillery and each year I make special spiced rum for the holidays. It is one of our favorite products. It is amazing, and the main reason is that it has this vanilla in it. My wife, a pastry chef, began stealing it from me so now we need it year round. Imagine a spiced rum with the vanilla seeds in it? Amazing, delicious. This product is the secret. It is the best.

The vanilla flecks in the paste are beautiful in sugar cookies. The taste varies. Sometimes more vanilla. Sometimes more of the alcohol comes through. The initial waft when removing the lid smells like a whiskey barrel. Not until stirring the paste and letting the flavor meld does the vanilla become prevalent. It is a little pricey. But what isn't now days? I use this brand and Neilson-Massey. I absolutely DO NOT like nor use Mexican vanilla. I have never liked the flavor of it. So, if that is your preference, you may not appreciate this brand.

This product is terrible. Needs a 0 rating. I have used it in the past with no problems but this is a new “formulation” according to the company. It does not totally mix well in any batter or liquid that I have tried to use it in. I have been left every time with big clumps of it that won’t dissolve.

Visually it is great and I couldn't wait to use it. The taste was super pronounce but not as smooth and sweet as Madagascar bourbon, but the finished, baked product was awesome! Your vanilla paste delivered!!

I bought a small jar of Heilala a few years ago when I needed some vanilla bean paste in a pinch, and it had the earliest delivery date. That was the best decision I've ever made. As soon as I opened the jar, I was enveloped in the scent of vanilla, without a hint of alcohol to be found. The flavor this gives baked goods is incomparable. Before I finished the small jar I initially purchased, I ordered their largest jar to have on hand for my many baking projects, and haven't looked back. As long as Heilala is in business, I'll have a jar of their vanilla bean paste in my cupboard.

So far, so good. I made this purchase after buying several jars (and going quickly thru them) of another brand (i won't post name here because i don't want you to think i'm a troll for that company). I made the leap with this large jar and hefty price tag, but I was pleasantly surprised that I needed less of this brand in my baking. This greatly stretches out the cost and makes it a super efficient purchase. (Note: the label on Heilala equates 1 teaspoon to 1 vanilla bean pod whereas other brands equate 1 TABLEspoon to 1 vanilla bean. I find that I need two teaspoons to match a vanilla bean and to replicate the same taste in my baking.) Overall, I'm pretty happy that this jar is lasting me a while and my customers aren't noticing any difference in taste or texture. END RESULT: quality taste that gives me a better bottom line; however I am only giving 4 stars because I do feel the vanilla taste is not as strong as a Madagascar Bean or paste, as the description suggests.

We make almost everything sweet from scratch. Our vanilla ice cream and our salted caramel ice cream taste so much better when using this paste than they would if we used vanilla extract ---- we get rave reviews. My youngest daughter loves to bake and her chocolate chip cookies are really amazing (she uses this paste in place of extract).

Bien trop sucré c'est dommage ...