Cream Stout Help

I just ordered a cream stout kit from midwest and want to add a few things. If anyone has suggestions, thoughts or experience with any of these please let me know.

My thoughts:
Adding some chocolate (cocoa powder? real chocolate?) to the boil.
Adding raspberries (real fruit?, extract?) to the secondary.
Adding some vanilla (bean?, extract?) not sure when.

Anyone tried any of these in a cream stout? How did it turn out, how did you do it? Any suggestions, thoughts, warnings would be greatly appreciated.

BlueDuck said:

warnings

Click to expand...

Vanilla goes a looooong way

Thanks hopsalot. I haven't done any research on adding vanilla yet. This will only be my third batch so I'm still new. You have any thoughts or experience with using vanilla bean or vanilla extract?

I have used vanilla beans sliced down the side and thrown in the boil, 2 is plenty, I recommend 1 for a cream ale

Southern Tier does a Cream Stout with vanilla(I think it says beans on the bottle, but it has been a while so I don't really remember) that is very delicious.

http://www.stbcbeer.com/stbc/our-beers/black-water/creme-brulee-beer-page/