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Savings!

Recipe Ratio: 6–8 Grade B Vanilla Beans + 1 cup Absolut Vodka (8 oz, 80-proof)
Upfront Grocery Cost: ~$15.99 (Vanilla Beans $9.99 + 8 oz Absolut $6.00)
Yield per Batch: 8 fl oz (equivalent to 4 standard 2 oz store bottles)
Cost per Ounce: ~$2.00
Store Price (Pure Vanilla Extract): $3.50 per oz
Savings per Ounce: ~$1.50 (~43% cheaper)
Total Batch Savings: ~$12.01 saved per 8 oz batch
Break-Even Point: 4.6 small bottles costs $16.10 which is the same price as making this recipe which yields 8 small bottles!
Note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

1 Month of Slowbatch Studio+: $5.00 (cheaper than buying a 2 oz bottle of McCormick brand vanilla extract!)

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Ingredients & Tools

• Grade B Madagascar Vanilla Beans ($9.99): The exact beans I used for this batch

• 8.5 oz Glass Swing-Top Bottles 4-Pack ($12.99): Airtight bottles for aging & gifting

• Collapsible Funnels 3-Pack ($5.99): Good for pouring into narrow neck bottles

Note: Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

💌 A NOTE FOR THE SLOWBATCH STUDIO COMMUNITY
Thank you for being here and reading along! The flavor pairings above are yours to play with. Whenever you’re ready to add the full step-by-step recipe card to your pantry shelf, consider upgrading to Slowbatch Studio+ to join us below the line!

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Ingredients & Tools

• Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe ($5.00): Subscribe to Slowbatch Studio+ for this recipe at only $5 / month.

• 12 Cup Non-Stick Silicone Muffin Pan ($7.99): Flexible silicone that makes removing baked muffins easier.

• 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowl Set ($17.99): Microwave safe nesting bowls.

• 6-Speed Electric Hand Mixer ($24.99): Reliable and quick mixing.

Note: Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Aftertaste

This is a very important recipe to me, not only because these muffins are absolutely delicious, but because this was the first recipe I ever made myself. I spent many hours making sure it was perfect, and it paid off. I truly believe these are as perfect as I can make them, and I am extremely proud of how they’ve turned out after all this time.

A couple of years ago, I spent the whole summer working on crafting the perfect muffin recipe. I knew it had to be sweet, but I didn’t want it to feel like you were eating a cupcake. I also wanted the streusel to crumble perfectly both on the visually on the muffin and physically in your mouth. I tried apple muffins, coffee cake muffins, cranberry orange muffins, but everyone’s favorite seemed to be these particular blueberry muffins which meant that the blueberries needed to be able to sit all throughout the muffin without sinking to the bottom when baked.

When I started the process of creating this recipe years ago, it was one of those activities I tried because I wanted a delicious muffin, not because I wanted to post about it. Although now this is exactly the type of thing that I post about, I think that this hobby coming from a place of pure enjoyment for the craft has made my current experience of making recipes for sharing more enjoyable.

Until the next bite,

Ingredients & Tools

• 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowl Set ($17.99): Microwave safe nesting bowls.

• 3-Piece Non-Stick Baking Sheet Set ($15.29): Standard-sized heavy-duty pans.

• 2-Piece Silicone Baking Mats ($5.99): Reusable, non-stick pan liners..

• 6-Speed Electric Hand Mixer ($24.99): Reliable and quick mixing.

• 5-Piece Star Cookie Cutter Set ($5.98): Nesting stainless steel cutters.

Note: Some links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Aftertaste

In the age of algorithms it’s hard to decipher what you choose to watch and what is merely served to you without you even actively processing what you’re watching. There are the obvious offenders like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok where the endless scroll is the whole purpose of the app. Every scroll is a gamble as to whether you’ll like what the algorithm has fed to you or not which is what makes the act of scrolling so addictive.

Then, there’s apps for streaming music, like Spotify and Apple Music that feed you music they think you’ll like. I’m currently making a YouTube video (stay tuned!) about how I quit Spotify in an attempt to listen to music more mindfully, and it has made me realize not only how passively I’ve been listening to music but also how passively I’ve been consuming most of my entertainment.

Is it risky to criticize the app we’re on right now? Maybe. But, Substack also falls into this trap. The trick is that Substack feels like it’s better for you than other social media in terms of its long form content and focus on sharing thoughtful essays with a small community, but the homepage comes dangerously close to the feel of doom-scrolling on Twitter. Sure, the goal is to find an essay you want to read or a niche you want to engage with, but when a social media app focuses on the scroll, it is not the user’s fault when they have a hard time stopping the scroll.

Pinterest recently came out with an ad that encourages users to put down the phone, stop the scroll, and live the life they are trying to curate. Their ad titled “Pinterest’s latest campaign wants you to live your life, not just scroll it” writes a quote from Pinterest’s Chief Marketing Officer, Claudine Cheever in which she says “most platforms are engineered to keep you scrolling through other people's lives. Pinterest is engineered to get you off the app and into yours.” This is a refreshingly human ad campaign from one of the major social media sites, and it gives me hope for our future in experiencing life in the real world.

All in all, social media is not inherently bad for you, but these businesses are making money off of their users time, so why wouldn’t they try to make their apps as addictive as possible no matter how it affects the average person? Social media is a great way to connect with people and share what you love, but these businesses are making it hard to use their apps mindfully.

To make sure I spend my time doing what I actually want rather than what my algorithm thinks I want, I am trying stop the scroll and use social media as the tool it really is. This could be done by curating a “Watch Later” playlist on YouTube to make your own for you page, searching for a specific piece of art or entertainment and watching it on your own terms, or even just scrolling until you find something you want to do (i.e. a craft you want to try, a recipe you want to make, or a podcast you want to listen to) then exit the app and do it!

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

“Hurrying means that you miss out on many things.” - A quote from The Cat Who Saved Books (page 84)

It is so hard to slow down these days because of the extremely easy access to information and stimulation. Everyone everywhere is doing everything as fast as they possibly can. Reading books, completing chores, and consuming media should take time, so what’s with this need to hurry?

In America, especially, there is always a push for productivity. Make more money! Work more hours! Sell more things! Suddenly a simple jewelry-making hobby turns into a full blown small business because casually wire wrapping a crystal isn’t impressive unless you’re making money off of it. And hey, you like to read? Why not track the books you’ve read on this really cool app? Now, you have to read 10 more books in the next month to keep up with the arbitrary reading goal you set. Better yet, why don’t you listen to an audiobook on 2x speed so that you can also finish that art project you’re in the middle of.

Yes, doing two or more things at once is productive, but what if productivity wasn’t the end goal? Multitasking means that you’re only putting a fraction of your attention and effort into the multiple tasks at hand. Of course, time is the most valued currency right now. Having time means that you have enough money to enjoy your time without working. This is why convenience is so marketable. People want time so hurrying means more time, right? But if you hurry, yes, you might get more things done, but you’ll miss out on all the things that you hurried through that were supposed to take time. Productivity isn’t everything. Sometimes you need to just take your time and enjoy it.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

Are we all afraid of boredom? After deleting most of the apps on my phone, I have become hyper aware of each time I get bored. Waiting for the oven to preheat, waiting for a train, waiting for a coffee, waiting in a waiting room, waiting, waiting, waiting. Usually waiting for things is boring, but when you have this slimy little germ brick in your hand, nothing has to be boring ever again!

This used to seem so extremely cool when I first got my grubby hands on my first blue light emanating slab of entertainment. The countless games I could play, music I could listen to, videos I could watch were just so enticing and exciting that I could not look away. Now, as a freshly 23 year old, I finally feel the need to tilt my head back up and look at the world around me without the handicap of constant amusement.

It’s been a bit of a challenge, forcing myself to sit in my boredom instead of mindlessly scrolling through blue light. I’ve noticed that the times I reach of my phone are when my mind starts to wander to anxious thoughts or when I feel awkward in public and want to distract myself. I am learning to like the feeling of doing nothing and waiting without distracting myself. I notice sights and sounds and even feelings that I would never notice if I spent every unoccupied moment of my time with my phone in my face. So, yes, boredom is scary because it allows your mind space to think about things you may not want to think about but that is not only healthy, but it makes you an interesting human being.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

If you’re anything like me, you start a bunch of different hobbies then give them up after a couple months to pick up something else. I started a junk journal, a crochet business, a YouTube channel, a baking blog (okay, fourth wall break!). There was a period where I got really into movies, books, photography, running, and, of course, baking. To be fair, I still do most of these hobbies, but the constant switching between which one I focus on is strangely unfulfilling because unfortunately, you can’t be good at everything.

To combat this, I wanted to start focusing on certain hobbies more than others. Last week, I had a craft night with a friend, and we made resolution punch cards. If you don’t know what those are, they are somewhat of a Pinterest phenomenon, a way to document 2026 resolutions in a satisfying and crafty way. In my last blog post, I wrote about my thoughts on New Year’s resolutions and how I used to think it was a bit silly and seemingly arbitrary but I have recently come around on them. I like this punch card activity because it focuses more so on finding things you like to do and want to do more of rather than trying to better yourself in completely new ways that will end up being hard to stick to. And, with that, I’ll leave you with the punch cards I drew up.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

I’ve never really been one for making New Year’s resolutions. I used to detest the idea that the most popular way to make meaningful change in your life was to put off your goals for this one arbitrary day of the year. While I do still believe that changes should be made to your life whenever you feel they are needed, this year, I decided to dabble in the self reflection and self improvement that comes alongside setting up a new calendar.

Reflecting on this past year in particular, I noticed that I developed an intense love-hate relationship with my phone. For a few weeks, I changed the settings of my phone screen to be set to fully black and white so that it was less stimulating. Despite the fact that this did make my phone extremely boring, it was entirely unsustainable. I tried time limits on certain apps with reminders as to what I should do with my time instead. These reminders were always predictable so I would just mindlessly dismiss them when they popped up. What did stick was deleting all social media from my phone. Doing this was interesting because, in the beginning, I would go on my phone to subconsciously navigate to Instagram or TikTok, but when I couldn’t find the app, I realized just how many times I must have navigated to an app without even realizing it.

For me, holding my phone feels like a pacifier. When I don’t have it, I start to panic. This is fully because of the comfort that my phone brings. The comfort that I don’t ever have to think about anything I don’t want. The comfort that I will never be bored, and I will always have something to do. Anytime I start to feel any emotion too much, whether it be overstimulated, angry, upset, or any other feeling that tries to trickle through the cracks, I can just pull out my phone and scroll through something mindless. Even with all of my attempts at “bricking” my phone, it is very difficult to give up something so integral to daily life. I have to use my phone to communicate with my boyfriend, to keep in touch with my family and friends, and even to clock in for my work shift. While certain elements of a screen can be limited to just being used on my laptop that barely leaves my apartment, such as online banking, bill payments, and even catching up on social media, there is so much of my life that relies on this annoying device that I just can’t shake.

Because of my phone addiction, one of my resolutions this year is to get bored more often. A few months ago, when my power went out for a few hours, I was completely lost. There were so many things that I could have done, but I was stuck. This could have been because I didn’t have my beloved TV, but I also think it is because I am not used to having to sit in my boredom and figure out how to entertain myself. I have so many hobbies that I can pick instead of getting sucked into the world of my phone, so that is what I am going to try this year, and that is what I am trying right now with writing this reflection and baking these apple cinnamon scones.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

This mojito puff pastry recipe is technically meant for the summer, but I think it’s fun to enjoy a summer treat in the dead of winter. I’m from New England where people hold iced coffee while they walk down the snowy sidewalk and wait in line outside for ice cream, so making a pool-party pastry while it’s snowing outside doesn’t feel too paradoxical for me. Although food tastes the same whether it matches the weather or opposes it, I do find it interesting how a flavor can transport you to a specific time of the year. Pumpkin spice tastes like autumn, gingerbread like winter, and citrus like the warmth of summer.

With that being said, I’ve never really believed in strict seasonal food rules. If something sounds good, I don’t see a reason not to make it just because the calendar says otherwise. Pumpkin spice, gingerbread, and citrus all have home seasons, but eating them at different times of the year feels spontaneous and almost nostalgic.

I’m not the biggest fan of winter, or snow for that matter. I like the idea of it more than the reality. Bringing in flavors that feel bright and summery is my way of pushing back a little. If I can’t escape winter, I can at least pretend it’s warmer by baking something that tastes like it belongs poolside on a long, sunshine-filled day.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

Sometimes the holidays are hard; food preparations, extended family, obligatory gift giving, and all the expectations that come with them. There is the added pressure of making everything feel special and meaningful, even when energy is running low which causes tensions to run high. Especially in this age of overconsumption, it can feel like there’s always a need for more. More food. More gifts. More decorations. I know I get into this loop of feeling like my gifts aren’t enough which causes me to feel the need to keep buying more. But, of course, like always, there never really is anything to stress out about. Everyone always likes their gifts because gifts are never really about getting what you want, they’re more so about feeling seen.

I’ve realized that the holidays are magic because of the thought that everyone puts into them. That’s why baking becomes so popular in December, because it takes time and effort. When someone bakes something for you it means they put that time and effort into you. If time and effort are what make a gift truly heartwarming, then shouldn’t the holiday season feel even more magical when those qualities become the standard for giving? And if it’s hard to imagine the holidays without an overwhelmingly expensive price tag, maybe that’s a sign it’s time to reinvent what we value and how we celebrate.

Still, even when the season is as joyful as it can be, it can also be exhausting. So, I do understand that the last thing most people want to do after a big holiday is put in more effort, especially through baking, which is why I’m sharing this classic, tried and true recipe of mine. Lemon loaves are just the kind of peace and quiet you might need after a chaotic holiday season. They are simple, familiar, and they might have even been the small pick-me-up you usually get from your go-to café anyway.

All in all, I hope that you (yes, you!) had a wonderful holiday season and that you can now wind down with your loved ones, maybe through relaxing over a thoroughly iced mini lemon loaf.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

There’s nothing quite like coming home from a customer service job, after being subjected to the same same ten overplayed pop Christmas songs and instantly getting even more festive while baking these cookies. Now that I live away from my family during the holiday season, I’ve found that certain traditions and festivities need to continue, even when they aren’t happening in my childhood home. One of my favorites being the accumulation of these specific candy cane Hershey’s kisses to make these very cookies.

Although I now detest most Christmas songs due to forced overexposure, one song still gets to me every time, that being “(There’s No Place Like) Home For the Holidays.” The message is simple enough. Perry Como sings about leaving your hometown, starting a life elsewhere, and yet finding that returning home is still the best way to spend the holidays. What fascinates me is how naturally I still refer to the house I grew up in as “home.” The word just slips out.

Home, I’ve learned, is more a feeling than a place. No matter how long I live in my first apartment, or how many pieces of my childhood I bring with me into these new walls, the house I grew up in will always be “home” to me. And, these cookies, are a piece of my home.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

This is my mom’s favorite cookie, and there’s something almost disorienting about making someone’s most-loved dessert when they’re states away. My kitchen is much more cramped and definitely less stocked than hers, but somehow the smell that fills it is still the same. Before I tweaked this recipe to crumble just right, my mom and I first found the idea for it in a Christmas cookie magazine. These cookies are good on their own, but they’ll always taste better warm with both of us taking a bite over the sink at the same time to “make sure they’re not poisonous.”

Because of the way that I can close my eyes and taste it as if I were in my childhood home, I know that this cookie is special. Always special to me, always special to her, and fleetingly special to those I share it with. Making these cookies by myself, I’ve never been more convinced that long-distance love travels through sugar. Next time I’m home, I’m bringing the ingredients and we’re making these properly, side by side, inevitably arguing about bake time.

Anyway, hi Mom, miss you. I hope the next batch we eat together.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

These donuts might just be my favorite baked good to make. They come together with the kind of ingredients most people already have lingering in their cupboards which makes them perfect for a lazy Sunday in that even the sleepiest morning brain can comprehend. They keep for about a week in the fridge, and they can be made dairy free through plant based milk and vegan butter. Even with these tweaks, the glaze sets into a shiny shell that cracks gently when you bite into it.

Fresh out of the oven, they taste like the kind of comfort you usually only find in cafés where the baristas remember your name. When I used to work as one of those baristas who remembered your name, my boss wanted me to make these in bulk to sell them there. Unfortunately this fell through as having a cat in your kitchen makes for complications with selling food, but that doesn’t stop me from sharing this delicious recipe with you.

When you inevitably fall in love with how easy they are, try switching up the glaze or adding a handful of chocolate chips to the batter or switching up the flavor extract used in the glaze itself. Consider it an invitation to play, to tweak, to chase the version that feels most like you. And if you eat the first one while standing in your kitchen, barefoot and unbothered, that’s exactly the right way to do it.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

Most of what makes these scones are ingredients that you would find in any kitchen, making them perfect for an impromptu baking session. The making of these scones is perfect for beginner bakers or just a simple, post-work activity when your brain is already fried. They keep for about a week in the fridge before they start to lose their enthusiasm for life, and they can easily be made vegan (no eggs, sub plant-based milk, and sub vegan butter)!

To me, these scones feel so inherently autumn that even in the dead of winter, they could have me imagining orange leaves falling off the barren trees. Both the smell in the kitchen when baking and the taste on my tongue when eating feel like I’m sitting on a wicker chair next to Rory Gilmore at Weston Bakery. They are, of course, best eaten warm, but, ideally in the morning, while the world is still quiet, so you can take a minute for yourself to appreciate the masterpiece that just came out of your oven.

Until the next bite,

Aftertaste

Crumble bars are one of my favorite desserts to bring for dessert because they are so versatile. They work with any fruit (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or even oranges, if you make a marmalade), and they can easily be made vegan (no eggs, sub plant-based milk, and sub vegan butter)! Also, if you’re in a bind, you can use store-bought jam and just make the shortbread, which is what brings the whole thing together anyway. You may think that vanilla extract and lemon juice is excessive, but this is truly what rakes in the compliments. They keep for about a week in the fridge, if they even last that long.

These bars are best eaten either surrounded by friends at a buffet-style dinner party or at midnight, directly from the pan, over the sink. When you end up falling in love with the adaptability of this recipe, try making these bars with any type of fruit you can find and report back how it goes!

Until the next bite,