Why does nobody warn you that a $12 jar of "real" vanilla can ruin 6 batches of cookies?
Three weeks back I picked up a jar of fancy vanilla paste at a grocery in Tacoma for $11.99 and used it in my standard chocolate chip recipe, and all 24 cookies came out tasting like perfume instead of vanilla. I blamed my oven first, then my butter, then spent another $18 on two more batches before I figured out it was the paste the whole time. So here is the split: some folks say always buy the cheap imitation stuff because heat kills the good flavor anyway, and others swear the real bean paste is worth it if you use it right. Did I just get a bad jar, or is this a thing where the expensive vanilla only works in no bake stuff? Really want to know before I blow another $30 on cookies.