Cooking Question More Like Baking!?!
Answers:
I've been baking for years and I don't know what softened vanilla extract is. Unless you dilute it with water then add it to your recipe. Now as far as the vanilla flavoring it has a lighter taste than vanilla extract. Just like there's a difference between root beer flavoring and root beer concentrate. Root beer concentrate gives more of a taste. Hope this helps.
Vanilla flavoring can be vanilla extract or artificial vanilla. I don't know what "softened" means in talking about vanilla extract, as it is a liquid. See if your recipe or cookbook/cooking site includes instructions on softening vanilla extract.