I’m sure it won’t surprise you that we go through a lot of vanilla extract. And that stuff, especially the good stuff with a strong vanilla flavor and no added sugar, isn’t cheap. After some research, I was amazed to find just how easy it is to make your own – just two ingredients, a glass jar and a little waiting.
Homemade Vanilla Extract
3 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped (I used Tahitian beans from Beanilla. I buy my beans online for a much better price than at the grocery store.)
1 cup vodka
Split and scrape the vanilla beans. Place them in a glass jar. Pour in the vodka. Submerge the beans and give it a good shake. Place it in a cool, dark place and let it infuse for at least 2 months, shaking it occasionally. After two months, your vanilla extract is ready to use and you can bake your heart content. How easy is that?!?
This vanilla extract is so flavorful and delicious. The awesome part about this process is that you can choose your favorite variety of vanilla bean and make an extract that you might not be able to find at the store – Indian, Bourbon, Indonesian. Plus, you’ll save a few bucks and end up with a higher quality product. Not too shabby!
-Emily