Review and Giveaway with LorAnn Oils!

I'm particularly excited about today's review and giveaway, because it gave me the chance to try a product I was completely unfamiliar with:  baking emulsions.  I love to bake, but I've always used extracts in my creations....until now!

Meet LorAnn Oils.

This company out of Lansing, Michigan has been in the "oil" business since 1962.  LorAnn was founded by O.K. Grettenberger, a pharmacist who began distributing essential oils (such as peppermint, lemon, clove, etc.) to pharmacies.  Gradually expanding to consumers, LorAnn oils now offers a full line of baking products.

LorAnn's provides everything from baking emulsions to candy molds to ice cream flavors.  Their selection is beyond extensive, and they also have an online recipe book!

 

For this review, I received LorAnn's Butter Vanilla Bakery Emulsion. 

 

Confession time....I didn't know what an emulsion was. And I call myself a baker! In the off chance that you don't know either, an emulsion is a water-based flavor, unlike an extract, which is alcohol-based. This means you won't lose flavor due to evaporation while cooking.  It also substitutes perfectly for an extract in measurement--one tsp. of extract equals one tsp. of emulsion.

I put vanilla extract in everything I bake, from cupcakes to muffins to pancakes, so I was curious and excited to try this product.  I decided that the perfect theater in which to test the its performance would be a good ol' pound cake.   I was first struck by the color and texture of the vanilla emulsion.  It's nothing like the extract, which has a very thin consistency and is very dark.  The emulsion was light and had a thick, slightly creamy texture.

I used the emulsion just as I would have an extract.  The results were wonderful.  I can honestly say the flavor of the emulsion seemed much more authentic than that of an extract.  As I noted earlier, the flavor won't cook out when exposed to heat.


For this review, I also got to try LorAnn's natural peppermint oil.  I've never used oils for flavor, so this was an exciting and new thing for me.  I used it to flavor the icing for cupcakes, and they were delicious!  Just a drop or two gave the freshest flavor, and I can't wait to try it in future creations.


The good folks at LorAnn Oils have offered to give one Till Death Do Us Part reader three of their amazing products:  Red Velvet Bakery Emulsion, Lemon Bakery Emulsion, and as a bonus, a vial of natural Peppermint Oil.

Ready to win?  Here's how!

To Enter:

(Please leave a separate comment for each entry.)

1.  Be (or become) a follower of Till Death Do Us Part via GFC. (Mandatory)

2.  Like LorAnn Oils on Facebook.  (Mandatory)

3.  Follow LorAnn Oils on Twitter

4.  Like Till Death Do Us Part on Facebook.

5.  Follow Till Death Do Us Part on Twitter.

6.  Be (or become) a follower of Till Death Do Us Part via Linky Follow.

7.  Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway.

8.  Pin this giveaway via Pinterest.

Eight ways to win! This giveaway is open to residents 18 years or older in the continental U.S.  All entries will be verified. Winner will have 48 hours after being noified to claim their prize before another winner is chosen. Giveaway will run until Wednesday, April 25 at 10 p.m. CST. Winner will be chosen via Random.org.

Good luck!

(*Author was supplied with free product for this review.  All statements and opinions, however, are solely that of the author.)