The Easy Mistake You Can Avoid When Baking With Licorice
When done right, incorporating licorice root powder or licorice extract into your homemade recipes can brighten an overall tasting experience and add dimensions to flavor profiles you may already be familiar with. From using licorice laces to make cakes look fancy or sneaking the flavor into a cupcake recipe, the presence of licorice can add a comforting note to some of your favorite desserts. So we spoke to Jennifer Boggiss, the CEO of B-Corp-certified Heilala Vanilla, for the best way of going about using this potentially pungent ingredient.
"Licorice has a bold flavor, so start small and taste as you go," Boggiss advises. As with any new ingredient inclusion, you will want to use a light hand. You can always add more licorice extract or powder should your palate call for extra zing, but it can be difficult to backtrack from an overzealous mixture. Pour cautiously from a bottle of LorAnn super strength black licorice flavor, and if you don't trust the stability of your hand, consider using licorice root to make your own licorice milk or tea infusions to add to various baking projects.
Building flavors with caution
Due to its distinct flavor, Jennifer Boggiss recommends an ancillary role for licorice in your baking projects: "Pair it with complementary flavors like ginger or vanilla to balance its intensity." Such strategic pairings can help level out the intensity of the licorice and serve as a culinary ground as you go about perfecting recipes for ginger cakes or molasses gingersnaps.
By letting licorice take a supporting part in your kitchen, the flavors of the other ingredients you are working with can equally shine without getting lost behind an off-putting, cloying licorice curtain. Whether you're looking to elevate homemade gingerbread cookies or add intrigue to the salted caramel ginger thumbprint cookies you've planned to serve to tonight's dinner guests, remember that a little goes a long way as you begin to add licorice to your recipes. With the right pairing of flavors, the presence of licorice can enhance the taste of your dishes instead of mask them.