So, can you make cookies without vanilla extract? Yes, and you should try it just to see what happens. You might discover a new favorite texture or flavor. You might find that your peanut butter cookies taste more aggressive, and that’s a good thing. Or you might decide that you really do love that floral background hum, and you’ll run out to buy a new bottle.
Either way, you are not a failure. You are a baker who adapts. You are the MacGyver of the kitchen, substituting panic with maple syrup. And frankly, a cookie without vanilla is still a cookie. Which is still warm, sweet, and better than a hundred things that don’t involve butter and sugar. So go on. Bake without fear. Your oven is waiting, and it doesn’t care about your inventory.
