Preview: LorAnn's Cotton Candy Flavoring

So, I thought I'd do a preview, rather than a review, on a new product I just received in the mail.

The product is a flavoring that Surfas just discontinued (Surfas is an awesome restaurant supply shop, with cafe, in Culver City, California). It's cotton candy flavoring from a company called LorAnn Oils. This company makes all sorts of flavorings, essential oils, and flavor oils. Some are specifically made for chocolates, other are made for cold treats such as ice creams, gelatos, and sorbettos, and others are ideal for cakes, cookies, frostings and hard candy recipes.

The cotton candy flavoring that I received is a super strength flavoring, so the means that a little bit of it goes a long way in a recipe. I've used flavorings from other companies before, but not this one.

I ordered the 24-pack from Amazon. The pack contains small 3.7 ml vials (or 1 fl. dram/0.125 fl. oz.) in a container that also looks like a display case. The top of the case contains a flap that can be pulled up and opened to reveal the tiny glass vials and within he flap, is an insert that can be pulled up to make the box present as a display so that anyone can get a "window's view" of the box's contents.




Cute package design. (As a designer, I definitely love fawning over packaging).

I expected a smell similar a perfume that I wear, but a bit more candyish. One of the signature perfumes that I wear is Pink Sugar from Aquolina. It's very reminiscent of cotton candy, vanilla and warm buttery sugar with a slight immediate hint (top note) of citrus to lead into the aromatic experience. A lot of people constantly ask me what I am wearing when I have it on, or random people remark that the area we share in a given space smells like cotton candy. LOL! I'm always amused (and delighted, like a child) by that.

What the flavoring smelled like, was something totally different, however. It's certainly sweet smelling, though. The fragrance is difficult to describe because it's somewhat complex, but upon smelling it several times, close up and then wafting it in from a distance to my nose, I got hints of pineapple (think Life Savers Pineapple), butter rum, bubble gum, a brief note of Christmas eggnog,  butterscotch, and some air of vanilla. Doesn't quite scream, "OMG!! Cotton Candy!!!! Weeeeee!!!" But, it's interesting, nonetheless.

I haven't baked with it yet, but I will soon, as I have a lot of catching up to do. Remember my earlier entry on Cookie Ideas? Well, in that thread, I mentioned experimenting with a  cookie recipe that included a cotton candy flavor. I'm still going ahead with that and I will report it here.

I am very curious as to how this strange flavor profile, that's supposed to be "cotton candy", turns out once I incorporate into the  cookie dough mixture. We'll see. Too bad computers can't transmit smells and flavors over the internet...

Actually, on second thought, knowing all of the crazy stuff that's posted online, I actually think it's a GOOD thing that we haven't developed that technology yet. *Whew!*