The New Costco Baking Gift Set Members Are Racing To Find: 'Tried So Hard To Find These But To No Avail'

Gift hunting season is upon us, and the perfect set for the baker in your life was just spotted at Costco. Social media user and Costco enthusiast @discovering_costco recently stumbled across a gift set featuring an essential baking ingredient that nearly everyone stocks in their pantry: vanilla extract. They posted a video displaying the kit, which contains four 2-ounce bottles of precious vanilla from different countries — Madagascar, Mexico, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea — and costs $27.99. (That is actually a great price for vanilla extract, considering it tends to be an expensive and coveted ingredient, by the way.)

What's also notable is that the collection comes from Nielsen-Massey, the well-regarded vanilla specialist. Nielsen-Massey is a vanilla company many bakers swear by, including celebrity chef Ina Garten, with a solid reputation for high-quality imports and extracts. The problem right now is that this gift set is apparently not easy to find, with one Instagram commenter lamenting, "This was definitely not in mine. I, and two lovely customer service associates tried so hard to find these but to no avail." Other users were reporting the same issue in the comments, saying stock for the vanilla appeared to be scarce.

Nielsen-Massey's site explains that the country of origin affects the taste of each vanilla variety, which is why the kit makes for a novel product. Madagascar vanilla tastes like the flavor we all know, while Mexican vanilla has more nutmeg and clove-like notes to it. Ugandan vanilla showcases dried fruit and chocolate notes, while the Papua New Guinea variety offers more floral and "woodsy" flavors.

If you're only in the market to re-stock your own vanilla supplies, it might be good for you to know that Kirkland Signature whole vanilla beans have also been spotted recently on store shelves. The best part is that they're being sold at an affordable price, too, with one photo posted on social media showing that 20 beans cost a mere $9.69 at their location. If you're the type of person who makes their own vanilla extract using alcohol at home, this is probably something you'd want to know, especially if you're a big holiday baker. In the meantime, if you're looking to experiment with your own baking flavors, keep an eye out for the Nielsen-Massey set, as it seems like everyone else is, too.