Homemade Vanilla Extract

I made these cute little gift bags for everyone at work and handed them out before Thanksgiving.  I made some pancake mix, added a small bottle of pure maple syrup, and a bottle of homemade vanilla extract.  It didn't matter how hard dinner was to get together, breakfast was easy!

I thought I shared how to make homemade vanilla extract back in August, but it appears that I didn't.  You need about 3 months for it to fully develop, but it is so easy, cheaper than buying it, and makes a great gift.  Everyone always comments about how good it is.  I buy the Kirkland vodka from Costco and the B vanilla beans from Amazon and I'm in business.  I split the vanilla beans and drop them in the bottle of vodka, give it a shake every day for about a week, then sit it on a shelf in the pantry for three months.  You can tell when it's done because it smells like vanilla when you open it, not vodka.  Rule of thumb is about 4 split beans for every cup of vodka.

I usually use my beans twice.  For the first use I empty all but about a 1/4 of the bottle. Then I refill the bottle with more vodka, shake for a week, and then let it sit for 3-4 months.  I have found that a third try does not give me enough of a vanilla flavor so the second time I empty the bottle I cut the vanilla beans and stick a little piece in the gift bottle when I give it away.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
vanilla beans
vodka or bourbon
time

Split vanilla beans in half and place in vodka or bourbon, you need 4 beans for every cup.
Shake at least once a day for 1 week.  Let sit in a cool, dark place for 3 months (I like to shake once in a while).  Pour into small bottles for gifts and/or use in your own cooking.

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December 2, 2019  Sunrise 10:21 am  Sunset 2:58 pm  Temp. H 15/ L 3°F