Oftentimes a recipe will call for only part of a vanilla bean. Since vanilla beans can be somewhat expensive, don't discard the extra bean. There are lots of ways you could put it to good use: Place the bean in an airtight container full of sugar. The vanilla will infuse the sugar and become vanilla sugar. Make a vanilla syrup. Add the seeds and beans to equal parts boiling sugar and water. Let Read more

Happy Fat Tuesday! Don't you wish this plate of beignets were real rather than just a picture? Dice215 shared the image in the Savory Sights group in the YumSugar Community. Freshly made vanilla bean beignets with warm chocolate fudge sauce on the side. For the recipe, check out her blog. If you have a delicious photo to share, upload it to the Savory Sights group in the community! Read more

Today, word spread that ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins is retiring five of its flavors, among them Campfire S'mores, Apple Pie a La Mode, Caramel Praline Cheesecake, and Superfudge Truffle. But the most surprising news of all? The company also plans to retire French Vanilla, a longtime hit and one of its original 31 flavors created in 1945. Not only has French Vanilla been a core flavor for the Read more

For FabSugar and my Twister party, I'm going to get creative with the dessert. My first instinct was to serve something twisted, but then I thought it's more fun to offer a sweet inspired by the Twister mat. Thus, I'm going to take this recipe for classic vanilla-on-vanilla cupcakes and make mini cupcakes. Then, I'll divide the vanilla buttercream into four bowls and tint each one a different Read more

I was talking to CasaSugar today and found out that she isn't the biggest fan of vanilla-scented things, which got a bunch of us into a conversation about different common scents we're not so fond of inhaling. It turns out PartySugar doesn't like incense and I cannot condone that waxy fake chocolate scent (organic and real chocolate notes, though, I love.) It seems like all of us have at least Read more

This Friday a group of my closest friends will join me at my vacation house in the mountains. It's going to be a whirlwind weekend filled with amazing eats, snowboarding, and a birthday celebration. My girlfriend Katie is turning 29 and I'm making her cake. When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted (and explained that the sky's the limit!), she simply replied, "I want a vanilla cake. Is that Read more

A special Christmas brunch should end with a stunning dessert. Instead of serving something that requires last-minute attention, plate slices of a cranberry vanilla coffeecake that can be made on Christmas Eve. It will fill the house with an enticing aroma and get your family excited for the breakfast. Although vanilla beans are expensive, it's a necessary splurge for this flavorful and moist Read more

There's nothing like fresh-churned homemade ice cream. It's cool, but melts in your mouth, creamy and smooth, and when compared to a grocery store variety, has a richer, cleaner, more pure taste. To make ice cream you need an ice cream maker and a little skill, but most of all, it requires patience. Many recipes are egg-based, and one of the steps involves tempering a ribbon-like egg yolk and Read more

While one could easily serve red, white, and blue parfaits at a 4th of July party, I prefer to give guests a more all-American dessert — in the form of a crowd-pleasing cupcake. When I saw these adorably patriotic cupcakes in the current issue of Martha Stewart Living, I knew they would be on the menu at my Independence Day celebration. The vanilla cake batter is dotted with fresh blueberries Read more