I had ordered some whole vanilla beans to make extract, and I had one bean left over which I didn't want to leave in a cabinet and forget about it. I figured why not have some vanilla sugar to go with the vanilla extract I made for the baking I will be doing during the holidays.

I've been baking stollen for several years. ♪ I make several, and give them to my parents, siblings and friends as presents. ☆ After referring to several recipes and making them many times, this version has become our family's.I like that my recipe is low on spices and sugar, and very easy to eat. ♪If you are short on time, you can just mix the dried fruits with rum and use it right away! Only a tablespoon of lemon juice is used, so the rest can be used for other dishes.We let this stollen rest for a week, and then eat it a little at a time over about 2 weeks. Recipe by yaburie

Vanillekipferls are an essential Plätzchen (German Christmas cookie)! I saw how to make these on TV, then tried out a bunch of recipes, and finally came up with one that I liked.When using refined sugar, in order to make a smooth dough, let it sit overnight.If you don't have vanilla sugar, substitute by scooping out the inside of a vanilla bean and mixing it with powdered sugar. Or, you can mix the inside of the vanilla bean into the dough itself. Recipe by Engel

Lots of sweet potatoes are harvested in this season. It's troublesome to strain them when you make a sweet potato dessert. I briefly mashed them, so their texture remained, but it was delicious and my family loved it.It's easy to form into shapes when the mixture is cooled because it won't stick to your hands.When the surfaces are lightly browned, they are done.You can bake them in a oven as well. Recipe by ibu1224

I created this recipe because I wanted to make ganache that could be used for coated and uncoated truffles.Feel free to alter the recipe however you like.A good tip is to warm up a knife with a warm towel and cut the uncoated truffles.This recipe yields quite a lot of truffles, despite the top photo. Recipe by Koibumi

A member of a club I used to belong to made this for me once and it was absolutely delicious - but I forgot to ask her how she made it!So, here's my own recreation. It actually turned out quite nicely.The result will be even more smooth if you pass it through a strainer. You could also substitute a small amount of heavy cream for the milk, to make it even more rich!Be careful not to let the gelatin form lumps! For 3 pudding cups. Recipe by Funako mama

My mother used to make this for me a lot when I was little, and I learned the recipe from her.You could add the butter while simmering, but I like to sauté the simmered carrot at the end.Adjust the amount of sugar and salt to taste. For 1 carrot's worth. Recipe by Hamumaki

these cookies are foolproof and outstanding!!!..you're sure to enjoy!!

I'm a professional cake decorator and baker. This has always been the only vanilla I've ever used!

This is the best custard cream! I've cooked this recipe for years. Other custard is just not good enough.When you are not using condensed milk, please increase the amount of granulated sugar.You can use kirsch or brandy as liqueur. Recipe by ko-ko

My mother used to make this French toast when I was growing up.In our house it's our standard late breakfast on the weekends.Adjust the amount of sugar and milk to taste. We like a rather sweet French toast.Put a generous amount of oil in the pan, since the bread tends to stick and burn easily!!If you have more people to feed, simply double the amounts. Recipe by Rikoriko

I found some very nice-looking apples, so I promptly made them into jam.For those who prefer a refreshing, tart apple jam, add more lemon juice.I prefer to use soft light brown sugar since it's more aromatic than caster sugar, but feel free to use caster sugar. Recipe by Tomomon1028. Enough to fill 2 small jars.