I love the holiday season. Lately I’ve spent many evenings browsing Pinterest for decorating and gift ideas. I’m a total softie for homemade gifts dressed up in festive packaging—ribbons, colorful tags, and pretty jars always get me.
Last year I made homemade vanilla extract to share with family and friends. It was a big hit, so this year I stayed with the vanilla theme and made a batch of Vanilla Sea Salt.
If you haven’t tried vanilla sea salt, you should. Its subtle, fragrant flavor enhances both sweet and savory dishes. Try it on sweet treats like sweet-and-salty brownies, fleur de sel caramels, caramel shortbread bars, or chocolate tarts. It also pairs beautifully with pan-seared scallops, fresh lobster, or even as a vanilla-flecked rim for a margarita. A little jar of vanilla salt opens up many possibilities.
Join Katie and me this week by sharing a favorite recipe that features vanilla for a chance to win a generous gift card from Beanilla. Beanilla has been my go-to source for high-quality vanilla products for years—their beans, extracts, pastes, and powders are excellent and perfect for anyone who loves vanilla.
Share your vanilla recipe for a chance to win the Beanilla gift card. You might also enjoy Katie’s idea for a homemade vanilla sugar scrub, a lovely gift option.
Packaging Info
The jars shown are Weck Mini Mold Jars.
If you use a Silhouette machine and want the shapes and fonts I used, here are the details:
– Snowflake Doily by Loni Stevens cut on light blue card stock at 2.4 inches wide
– Plain circle cut on white card stock at 1.49 inches wide
– Fonts: Liorah BT for “Vanilla” and Pharmacy for “Sea Salt”
Vanilla Sea Salt
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup sea salt
4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the sea salt and the vanilla seeds. Use the tips of your fingers to rub the seeds into the salt until evenly distributed and fragrant.
2. Spoon the vanilla salt into jars, seal tightly, label, and store in a cool, dry place.
Notes:
– This recipe yields enough vanilla salt for 2–4 small gift jars, depending on how you package it.
– I used Mexican vanilla beans, but any high-quality vanilla beans will work.
– Save the scraped vanilla pods to make homemade vanilla sugar.
Adapted from CHOW
All images and text © My Baking Addiction
Follow Jamie on Instagram. We love to see what you’re baking—tag @jamiemba and use the hashtag #mbarecipes when you share!
How To Participate
For a chance to win a Beanilla Gift Card valued at $150 (updated prize):
- Post a recipe on your blog featuring vanilla or vanilla beans.
- Include the phrase “Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Beanilla.” in your post.
- No blog? Leave your recipe in the comments section.
- Add your link to the widget on either GoodLife Eats or My Baking Addiction (only add it to one site).
- Submit your post before December 12, 11:59 PM.
- Anyone may enter the link-up, but prizes are shipped to US addresses only.
- More detailed rules are available on the host sites.
Link Up Your Recipes:
If you like any recipes featured in the Holiday Recipe Exchange, use the Ziplist Web Recipe Clipper to save your favorites to your online recipe box.
This Week’s Prize:
Beanilla Vanilla Gift Card valued at $150
Prizes provided by Beanilla.