Whole Bean Vanilla Cookies

These are going to be on my Christmas cookie list. They’re perfect. Well, almost but you won’t find me complaining. I used whole wheat (no rye on hand) and I tripled the vanilla bean amount for two reasons, my beans were old and I’m sure lacking in potency and I had run out of vanilla extract. But it was perfect. Full of fleck and flavor. They did spread a bit but I left some room yet they were on the greasy side. Next time I’m going to cut back on a tablespoon maybe up to 1 1/2 tbs of the butter. I don’t want to lose too much chewy/crispy texture. ty

My friend made one of these cookies. I ate 7 of them and I meant to eat only one, you know. I don’t even like cookies that much but these are truly good; crisp on the edge yet soft in the center with speckles of vanilla beans.

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my co-worker’s aunt brought home $17783 a month ago. she works on the computer and got a $397200 condo. All she did was get lucky and work up the advice leaked on this website (Click on menu Home more information) http://goo.gl/DqlMH

Hi Heidi – these remind me very much of one of my favorite cookies, lavender buckwheat crisps. I love the vanilla-striped cookie jar – is that from heath? We have a bowl in an identical color. Hard to tell online if it is stoneware or ceramic or what, but definitely reminds me of some of my favorite heath pieces! Can’t wait to try vanilla beans and rye together … and as another comment mentions, your comment about the raisin-ness of the bean has me totally intrigued. I might leave a few bigger pieces just to see!!

Your cookies look amazing…definitely have to try the recipe. Vim

These cookies looks cute and delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

I made these last night and was so impressed by how well the vanilla bean broke down into little chewy bits of heaven! I would have never thought the skin was edible. The cookies were lovely, but I think I liked the plain dough best since the vanilla still had that fresh aromatic quality to it. Yum!

Wow this looks absolutely incredible. I have a question, do you know of rye contains gluten? If so, what other type of flour would you recommend?

HS: Hi Patrick, yes rye flour has gluten, less than many other flours, but yes. You’d need to experiment with a GF blend of flours if you were looking to do a gluten-free version of these cookies. I’m not entirely sure what that would end up looking like. Let us know if you land on a version that works well!

Lovely recipe! I tried it yesterday and even though I burned the first batch (after 10 mins they were still kind of soft and then I left it in the oven a little too long), I was happy with the second one (my boyfriend didn’t let the first one go to waste nevertheless 😉 )!
May I ask why you decided not to put any eggs in the dough?
Thank you!

When I’m making apple/peach/pear/plum butters (fruit spreads), I sometimes throw the [previously scraped] whole pod in while the fruit is stewing, then immersion blend it all together before adding the sugar and cooking to the desired consistency. It’s _wonderful_. I usually use 1/4 pod per pound of raw fruit.
http://how2heroes.com/videos/dessert-and-baked-goods/pumpkin-seed-macarons-w-apple-butter

Hi! As I said above, my dough was well chilled, and I’ve checked my oven temp before – it’s right on. I don’t know why they would’ve spread like that, but it was no problem for me – didn’t take away from the deliciousness. In fact, I liked the thin, crispy, delicate, lacy texture, and I’m imagining shards of these cookies stuck in the top of a scoop of home made vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!
HS: Hmm. Really interesting Maureen – I think my only other suggestion would be to roll them out double as thick next time – and see how that goes. Then, for future batches you could choose – thin/lacy or thicker/snappy. Glad you liked them regardless ;)!

I had the same problem as Maureen– my cookies baked very, very thin and lost their shape when I baked them! They also only took about 8 minutes. I double checked the recipe, and I even did the dry ingredients by weight. Heidi, do you have any suggestions for how to keep these cookies thick and in their original shape? Maybe less butter? Thanks for a yummy recipe!

HS: Hi Anna, I’m going to add a line to the recipe – you want to be sure your dough is still cold as possible when the cookies go into the oven. If you’ve taken a while to roll them out, and the dough is warm, you’ll get more spreading. Also, confirm your oven temp.

I’ve been having massive vanilla cravings when it comes to my sweets lately. These cookies are totally up my alley!

Okay, baked these just now…WOW! These are the most delicious cookies ever! So vanilla-y, sweet-salty-buttery. Swoon worthy, I’d say. A small problem: my cookies, in spite of the dough being well chilled, spread out very thin while baking. This doesn’t take away from them, necessarily – they just didn’t hold their shape. I think they’d be great as an added component to homemade ice cream.

I am so behind in my blog reading! Glad I didn’t miss these. 🙂

I grind in a whole vanilla bean with coffee beans when I’m making iced coffee. 🙂

Love this idea! So simple… but not at all. Perfect for an elegant bridal shower!

What a fascinating idea! I’ve never thought of using a whole vanilla bean before. These look incredible–love the use of the whole-grain flour.

I am a pastry chef, and I use all scrapped beans, dried, and whirrled up in a processor with sugar to have on hand at all times Vanilla Sugar!!! I like it very potent, so I dry whole beans and add to the mix when I have enough scrapped to make a batch of sugar. I use it on lots of stuff! It is great on oven roasted peaches, or I make a shortbread cookie, then toss in the vanilla sugar when it is still a bit warm from oven. Yummy!!!

chopped whole bean with rhubarb baked in medium oven. a sprinkle of sugar and a splash of cassis or creme de framboise. Also works with quince, cored but not peeled, cut in quarters then cut quarters in half, vanilla bean chopped, sugar – quince is sour if not accustomed to it – to taste but not too much is is semi savoury, a splash of balsamic, and then vodka, sprig of lemon thyme; bake in gratin dish until soft and caramelised at edges.Good as desert or with game. Use in baked rice pudding, omelette souffle, and surprisingly good in a very slow cooked shoulder of lamb – lots of root veg such as celeriac etc but be judicious. Many more ideas here in Old Europa. Lucky lady who brings beans back from Bali.

i love the idea of using the beans that have been in the vanilla sugar jar! i refresh the beans in my jar once a year, just keep adding a couple of new beans (it’s gettign crowded int here now). maybe i could take out the old ones and make these cookies! what a wonderful cycle.
ps lovely your butter-yellow jar.

I live in Bali and so do have a stack of fresh oozy vanilla beans that Kate Meinck spoke of. I use vanilla in a coconut lime lemonade drink and in vanilla meringues with vanilla cream and lots and lots of other things as well as cocktails 😉

HS: Kate! I would love to hear more specifics about your coconut lime lemonade drink. Sounds delicious.

I have used ground whole vanilla beans for years now. I first decided to grind them as I though it was such a waste to throw out most of the bean when I was sure it would have as much flavour as the tiny seeds. I only use this now in all my recipes along with my own vanilla essence. When I or friends go to Bali we always bring back fresh vanilla beans which last for ages when stored properly

I’ve only once bought real vanilla beans but MAN were they good. I think Trader Joe’s has them for a good price around the holidays.

Think I might try something with almond meal for a gluten free twist

what a great idea! I’m adding these to my ever-growing list of things to cook from your site.
i haven’t used whole vanilla beans in anything before, but i bet they’d work well in most baked goods, as you did here. maybe in a jam recipe???

Yum! Awesome idea to use the whole pod! I feel bad using the seeds and getting rid of the empty pod so I stick them in sugar, but this is a much better idea! No waste 🙂

I just made these, and they are wonderful. I made the recipe exactly as written though I must have rolled my dough much thinner because I got about 60 cookies from 1 batch, and they only took about 8 minutes to cook. They are nice and crispy and full of vanilla flavor. I know I will be making them again. Thank you.

I made these cookies as soon as I read the recipe. I made 1/2 the batch very thin and crispy and the second batch a little thicker so they are chewy ! I love them both and can’t decide which is better. Great recipe !! Thanks

Heidi, I love your blog, books, photos….I would love to have you visit our vanilla farm on the Big Island of Hawaii! Come check us out. Our beans are beautiful (and not suspiciously plump!). Aloha!
http://www.hawaiianvanilla.com

These look delicious. I can’t wait to try them!

YUM! These look SOOOOO good! I will have to try them for sure! Vanilla is a definate favourite of mine.

I love the cookies!:)

I just bought (i.e, yesterday) an awesome vanilla bean from the Comoros islands. It smells amazing. I was debating with myself what to do with it and then you posted this awesome recipe: talking about timing…

I once found a recipe in one of the River Cafe Cookbooks. A cake with walnuts, amaretto and 2-3 whole vanilla beans. I thought it was vanilla indulgence. The recipe asked for scraping out the seeds and then chop the vanilla pods with a mezzaluna. I never thought it was possible to use the pods.
Gorgeous photos as always…and I love the cookie jar. I want one like that. 🙂
I have also heard vanilla works excellent with seafood and lobster…haven’t tried that yet, though.

I like soo much cookies and vainilla candies.
Very good blog, congratulations.

This looks great. Can you recommend a good source for vanilla beans? Should I just look out for organic ones?

Heidi, this is a genius must try recipe, thank you for your continuous inspiration 🙂
Will you tell us more about that gorgeous cookie jar?

What beautifully and perfecly cut little treats! Well done 🙂
Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

Hi Heidi! Thanks for a great recipe.
Two things I altered- I used wheat flour rather than rye- none on hand, and salted sweet cream butter as again- no unsalted butter on hand. Two thoughts: the wheat is a nice texture, but rye might add a slightly different flavor pallet to contrast the sweet. Wish I had had unsalted butter, but the salted butter adds a nice kick for those who might otherwise sprinkle salt on top of their cookie. Possible add-ins next time: Fresh rosemary and/or fresh lavender. Rose petals and cacao chips also came to mind as possibilities? I’m a sucker for herb add ins…. For those who don’t have a food processor, I used my spice grinder to first mulch up the vanilla bean as the blade in my processor sits too high to grab the bean and mulch. Add a bit of the sugar mixture to your bean chunks, process in spice grinder, then transfer to the ‘big’ sugar mixture in your processor/bowl. I also would NOT use an immersion blender- I think a mixer would do the job after processing the vanilla bean, and be easier to clean and remove the butter/final dough from. Personal opinion. 🙂
Heidi- There’s a book from Joanna Farrow titled nicely, “Vanilla”. I picked it up a couple years back from a book sale and am in love. She doesn’t cover making your own extract/paste/etc. but I think it well worth the time to do so. Her recipes are wonderful.
Thanks for fun comments all!

Vanilla bean bits have a raisiny aspect? Wow–that is intriguing! I’m definitely going to have to try a batch of these.

These look delicious!
I usually chop up leftover vanilla bean pods and use them when brewing tea.

this looks easy and so so delicious. i am going to make these today! thank you for an awesome post.

A great idea. I adore vanilla, it is one of the key ingredients in my kitchen. I recently made a beautiful slow cooked beef dish which included a vanilla bean. Absolutely exquisite!

I still have not bought a fresh vanilla bean to use in baking but totally think it is worth it. Next time I go to the natural food store, I’ll be picking one up and baking your cookies!

I sure hope you are working on another book 🙂

lovely!

Genius, Heidi! I have some vanilla beans in the freezer. Thanks so much.

*sitting

*sitting

Yum!! I would probably eat all of these in one setting!

Yum!! I would probably eat all of these in one setting!

Diane – I was wondering the same thing! These cookies look delicious (I’ve got a stock of delicious beans that my friend brought back from Madagascar for me), but I don’t have a food processor. I’ve never used my immersion blender for baking, but maybe it’s worth a try at least for combining the beans, butter and sugar?

HS: Hi you two – so yeah, I think a processor (or something comparably powerful) is a necessity here. You definitely don’t want big chunks of pod in the cookies.

These would totally satisfy my sweet craving I’m having after lunch. Lunch involved your quinoa cakes!

Uh-oh. That should be one STICK butter. 1/2 cup. And a little less than 1 c. sugar since the solids are already sweet. Sorry again.

Sorry for this non sequitur but comments on the rhubarb syrup are closed. With the rhubarb solids I made a cake like applesauce cake subbing the solids for 1 c. applesauce. 1 c. sugar, 1 c. butter, 2 c. flour, 1 tsp soda, and an egg plus the rhubarb. 40 min at 350. Then poked holes and poured some of the syrup over. Both so delicious and didn’t last long. Thanks!

Don’t throw away the pod..! After I scrape the seeds out of the pod, I do use the pod. I drop it into a bottle of Everclear (grain alcohol). They keep collecting in there, and after a few months, you will have dark rich, aromatic-knock-your-socks-off pure vanilla extract. I use it in recipes and it’s so much better than anything I can buy (and so much cheaper). And I always have plenty so it’s nice to share small bottles with friends. If you time it right, you can even make a batch for the holidays and give out cute little homemade bottles of vanilla in a gift basket or something.

It’s always felt wasteful to throw away the pod after steeping it in something — usually cream for crême brûlée. Without access to a food processor, I suppose I will just have to mince the beans — or perhaps I could whip them up with the butter with my immersion blender?

Why is it that you seem to always have the best vintage pottery!!
If you find another could you please hook me up……………:-)
Love the size of the cookie……….just a bite!
Tea & Me will enjoy these.

YUM! I love anything with vanilla beans. Can’t wait to make these!

I love vanilla cookies, reminds me of those Nabisco ones. Those in milk….

Crispy little cookies are my favorite, and what a great idea to use the whole pod in such a creative way. I can’t wait to make these! Thank you!

There’s nothing quite like vanilla bean in flavour and colour – love how the dots of black speckle the cookie!

I’ve never actually tried using whole vanilla beans before, but these look like the perfect opportunity to try. The rye flour seems so interesting – I can’t wait to see what kind of flavor it brings to the cookies!

There is something about simple vanilla that is so good and comforting.

Can’t wait to try these. The rye flour sounds intriguing, yum. Love the cookie jar.

Ah! Last night I made the cinnamon vanilla sunflower butter, and sat looking at the empty vanilla pods, wondering what to do with them…they ended up in the compost, in spite of that voice inside my head that said I should save them “for something.” Next time! 🙂

The cookies look wonderful, but can we talk about your beautiful marble countertops with the snow white subway tile backsplash? And you’re renting? Your heart must have skipped a beat when you first walked into that gorgeous kitchen!

I have some vanilla sea salt but haven’t found a really interesting use for it… until now. A light sprinkle on the cookie tops. I can’t wait to make these.

These sound and look delicious. I will give them a go.

Do you think you could use something else other than powdered sugar here? Maybe just use all regular sugar or maybe a bit of brown sugar instead? These looks delicious and I am really looking forward to trying this receipe out! thanks heidi!

I’m all over ANYthing with vanilla beans. I would have never thought to use the entire pod. Brilliant! Love the thinness of the cookies!! Also, I want to steal that jar you have the background. 🙂

Do you think you could slice the cookies (like sables) instead of rolling and stamping?
Thanks!

Oooooh I’d never have thought to use the entire bean, but now that you’ve posted this, the idea sounds [smells??] heavenly!!! 🙂

Lovely idea….i like how your recipes are so unique!

The closest I come to using the whole pod is making vanilla extract or when I steam the cream with the pod when making your whipped sweet potatoes. (Absolutely AMAZING dish, btw.) I love the idea of pureeing the pod. I’m going to try it soon.

Lovely idea….i like how your recipes are so unique!

Sloppy vanilla kiss, heh. Using the whole vanilla pod is not something I’ve tried, but I like the idea of making something from it rather than tossing it. Especially cookies! I think I’ve seen Noelle of xobreakfast put a used vanilla bean pod in her coffee grounds before brewing that morning’s cup.

ohhh, these look wonderful–I was wondering if they were chewy, though…because they certainly look chewy. I’m not one for really crunchy cookies…would there be a way to try and make them chewy? A certain flour or wet ingredient?

I should really start using the actual vanilla bean, huh?! Thanks for the inspiration!

This sounds lovely! I’m wondering whether I could “reconstitute” a very dry vanilla bean by soaking it in hot water for a few minutes before processing it with the sugars?

I love vanilla beans – there’s something so decadent about seeing the flecks in baked goods. I can’t wait to try these!
I recently made vanilla bean cupcakes and topped them with nutella frosting. I had to give them away to keep from eating them! You can check them out there if you’re looking for more bean recipes: http://www.sprint2thetable.com/2012/04/vanilla-bean-cupcakes/

So sorry my comment posted 3 times 🙁
Feel free to delete!

I love it when you bake 🙂
when I was 100% raw, I used to make a smoothie of a whole vanilla pod, frozen blueberries & ice. Delicious 🙂

I love it when you bake 🙂
When I was 100% raw, I used to make a smoothie out of a vanilla bean pod, fresh blueberries and water. Delightful!

Never ever thought about using a the pod as well….but then again I tend to be more compliant with recipes and figure there must’ve been a reason not to use it….but I love your ingenuity! This is why you always have such imaginative cool recipes! Thanks.
xoxo
Cheri

Mmm what a treat!

I normally make a “low budget” vanilla sugar out of the bean – simply by blending it with sugar.
And by the way, these cookies looks absolutely delicate 🙂

When I make vanilla ice cream I cook the pod with the mix, but then I fish it out at the end (I make a vegan ice cream that I heat- then cool). So… I guess I half use it.

I really like the idea of using the whole vanilla bean. I’ve recently ordered a big bag of them and add them to anything and everything…elderfower syrup, coconut ice cream.
I will give these cookies a try as well.
And making my own vanilla extract!

everything ‘s perfect!
photo, mood, cookie, object
thank you fort your grace, i can smell the cookie flavour

Ooooh these look amazing. I have a little free holiday time this week, and this might be a perfect experiment!

I hadn’t given much thought to using the whole vanilla pod before but what a wonderful idea. These cookies sound like they have such a heady fragrance of vanilla, just gorgeous.

These look beautiful!

Wow! I love how small, thin, and almost cracker-like these look. I’m thinking these could be made into a sandwich cookie, but what to fill them with…

This is so clever! Love it.

Love the look of the cookies, rough with rye yet thin and delicate at the same time. Also love not letting the vanilla pod going to waste!

I guess adding a whole vanilla bean to the sunflower seed butter you posted a while ago would be really delicious.
I love vanilla when it takes center stage, it can feel a bit boring though when it is just thrown into anything that is sweet.

Hello Heidi,
I love vanilla pods but always felt bad for just using the beans, and let’s face it: vanilla sugar made with the empty pods is not that vanilla-y anyway. So, I kept them all in a jar and when I finished the last one, pureed them in the food processor with some clear, good-quality vodka. Just a bit, to thin it out. There are still some larger strands but it’s easy to pick them out of the mixing bowl, and the flavour is amazing!

Hello Heidi,
I love vanilla pods but always felt bad for just using the beans, and let’s face it: vanilla sugar made with the empty pods is not that vanilla-y anyway. So, I kept them all in a jar and when I finished the last one, pureed them in the food processor with some clear, good-quality vodka. Just a bit, to thin it out. There are still some larger strands but it’s easy to pick them out of the mixing bowl, and the flavour is amazing!

This is crazy – I just posted about whole vanilla beans 3 minutes ago and your post just popped up in my reader, and you made these cookies. I want them! I adore vanilla. I make my own vanilla extract and make vanilla cookies, sugar, love vanilla candles…pretty much my fave scent ever. Love these cookies and great way to use the whole pod. I never know what to do with them and feel bad about tossing them so I have a pod graveyard in a ziplock baggie… lol