Homemade Vanilla Extract

Ok people, we are going to start this out nice and slow now. I’m new at this, you’re new at reading my blog, lets start with something nice and easy.

Raise your hand if you use vanilla extract.

I bet you have your hand in the air right now.

Vanilla is a common pantry staple. I use it in my kitchen for cookies, french toast, ice cream, banana bread…I bet you’re sensing a theme here.

-Did you know that you can make vanilla extract at home?

-Did you know you can make it for a fraction of the price you can find in a grocery store?

-Did you know that it is very easy?

You didn’t? That’s ok! I’m here to save the day! I’m telling you, you can do this.

Here is the very lengthy list of what you are going to need.

Vanilla Beans–I prefer Madagascar beans because they have a traditional rich flavor.

Alcohol-You can use vodka, rum or bourbon. I like to use the cheapest vodka on the shelf. Obviously, I grabbed some rum too.

Glass jar or bottle- You can use pretty much anything you’d like. These are what I ordered for this project.

That’s it. For reals! Continue on for some very long and complicated directions. (sarcasm, again)

Put your beans in a jar. Add alcohol. Badabing badaboom.

Make sure the alcohol covers the beans entirely. You may have to trim the ends of the beans or cut the beans in half to fit them in the jar.

If you want to be more thorough, you can take a sharp knife and run it down the length of each pod, exposing it to the vodka and creating a deeper richer vanilla extract in less time. I prefer this method, as I don’t mind the specks of vanilla bean in my products.

Do you see all the little seeds in there?

Allow your vanilla to sit for at least 6 weeks, but preferably much longer, shaking the bottle once a week or so. A vanilla extract that has sat for one year will be considerably more rich and flavorful than one that has sat for 6 weeks. I totally understand if you can’t wait that long to consume your precious creation, which is why I suggest making several bottles of extract at a time. Use one in 6 weeks if you must, but let the others sit longer. Like good wine or my dad’s jokes, vanilla extract just gets better with age.

Slap a label and a ribbon on that bad boy and you have yourself the perfect Christmas gift for friends, loved ones or your mailperson.

P.S. The bottles that I used came with these wrapper things that, when heat is applied, shrinks onto the top of the bottle. See…