Almond extract is the flavor of a bakery case: sweet, warm and marzipan rich, with a faint cherry note that makes it instantly recognizable. It is what makes amaretti taste like amaretti, cherry pie taste like a bakery cherry pie, and plain white cake taste like wedding cake. It is also strong, so a little goes a long way.
- Flavor of marzipan and cherry. Almond extract tastes more like bakery almond than roasted nuts.
- Best friends: cherry, vanilla, orange, raspberry and chocolate.
- Strong. Stay at the low end of the rate until you know how much you like.
What almond extract tastes like
Angel Bake Almond Extract has the sweet, aromatic, slightly cherry like character people know from marzipan and almond paste. It does not taste like roasted almonds; for that toasty note you still want the nuts themselves. What it does is make a bake smell like it came from a European pastry shop.
It is an alcohol based Culinary Aromatics® extract with no added sugar, no added water and no propylene glycol, so it flavors without sweetening or thinning your batter. For allergy needs, check the product’s allergen information before you bake.
Classic almond bakes
Amaretti and almond cookies
Almond extract is the backbone of amaretti, almond crescents and almond sugar cookies. Cream it with the butter and sugar so it spreads evenly. A sliced almond on top adds crunch and tells everyone what they are about to taste. For chewy amaretti, the extract also makes up for the flavor that blanched almond flour loses, so the cookies taste of almond rather than just sweetness.
Cherry almond pie, cobbler and clafoutis
Almond and cherry come from the same plant family, and it shows. A few drops in cherry pie filling or a clafoutis batter make the cherries taste rounder and more like themselves. This is the pairing to try first.
Frangipane and almond tarts
Frangipane is almond cream baked into a tart, often under pears, plums or apricots. Extract deepens the almond flavor of the ground nuts and keeps it from tasting flat after baking.
White cake and wedding cake
Many bakery white cakes owe their flavor to vanilla plus almond. Use your usual vanilla one for one with the recipe and add almond extract on top at the batter rate below.
Almond in coffee, frosting and drinks
Almond buttercream on chocolate cake, an almond latte, a cherry almond smoothie or an amaretto style sour all work beautifully. In drinks, stir the extract in and taste once the milk and sweetener are there.
Almond for the holidays
Holiday baking leans on almond more than any other season. Almond crescent cookies, linzer cookies with raspberry jam, stollen, almond biscotti and Italian rainbow cookies all depend on it. A few drops in a holiday eggnog or a cherry almond cocoa make the drinks taste festive too. See our guide to the best extracts for holiday baking for more seasonal pairings.
| Pair almond with | Try it in |
|---|---|
| Cherry | Pie, clafoutis, cherry almond scones |
| Vanilla | White cake, sugar cookies, buttercream |
| Orange | Biscotti, loaf cake, holiday cookies |
| Raspberry | Linzer cookies, bakewell tart |
| Chocolate | Brownies, almond bark, mocha |
How much almond extract to use
These rates come from our extract dosing guide.
| Application | Starting rate |
|---|---|
| Drinks: latte, smoothie, cocktails | 3 to 5 drops per cup |
| Frosting, whipped cream, fillings | 3 to 5 drops per cup |
| Ice cream and frozen desserts | 3 to 5 drops per cup |
| Cake batter, cookie dough, frangipane | 5 to 7 drops per cup |
| Simple syrup | 1/4 teaspoon, about 50 drops, per cup of syrup, which puts 3 to 5 drops in a finished drink |
The rates above are a starting point. Taste and adjust; every base is different.
Angel Bake Almond Extract is concentrated. A recipe that calls for a teaspoon of almond extract was written for a standard strength bottle, so switch to the per cup rates above rather than measuring a full teaspoon.
Almond in chocolate and candy
Almond and chocolate make excellent bark, truffles and dipped cherries. For anything made with melted chocolate or candy coating, use Pure Infusions™ almond flavor oil. It has an organic coconut derived MCT carrier, is alcohol free, and blends straight into fat. Keep the oil out of drinks; it is made for chocolate, candy, ganache and buttercream. See our guide to flavoring chocolate and candy for more.
Bake like a pastry shop
Angel Bake extracts are No Sugar Added, Kosher Pareve, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free and vegan, and a 2 oz bottle flavors more than 300 cups. Explore Almond Extract, pair it with orange extract in loaf cakes and biscotti, or browse our guide to the best extracts for cakes, cookies and quick breads. Bakeries can ask about wholesale and samples.