Quick story: I absolutely love to bake, but I recently ran out of every baker’s go-to item: vanilla extract. So, I went to the local farmer’s market (also known as my heaven) to pick some up. Of course I picked up a bottle of pure extract, but it cost $7.00 for 4oz!
When I got home, I did a bit of research, purchased vanilla beans online, bought some 4oz glass bottles, and lots of vodka. Turns out making vanilla extract is very simple, and makes a fantastic gift too!
Here is a brief how-to for those out there that would like to save a little money on their extract. I made a bunch because I figured it would make great holiday or birthday gifts for all the bakers in my life.
Homemade Vanilla Extract
makes 24 bottles
Ingredients
-1/2 lb of vanilla beans (you’re going to have a bit left over, I gave mine to friends, but you can make homemade vanilla vodka with them if you like!)
-slightly more than 96 oz of Vodka
-24 4oz glass bottles
Directions
-Cut your vanilla beans in half, and then make a slice down the center to expose the yummy “caviar” inside.
-Insert beans (don’t take the caviar out) into your bottle. I added 3 half beans per bottle.
-Fill bottle with vodka
-Give it a good shake
Now, is the hard part…waiting. You’re going to have to wait about 8 weeks for it to become a true extract. Every week, just give your bottles a good shake.
Note
Do your research on the vanilla beans, otherwise you can end up spending a pretty penny. Also, make sure they are fresh and preferably vacuum sealed. Otherwise, the caviar inside is completely dried up and it won’t be as potent.
Maybe I’m a cheapskate, but I would much rather spend around $1.50 versus $7.00 on a 4oz bottle of pure vanilla extract. Plus, as an added bonus, people are really impressed that you made it yourself!
Enjoy!
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Quick story: I absolutely love to bake, but I recently ran out of every baker’s go-to item: vanilla extract. So, I went to the local farmer’s market (also known as my heaven) to pick some up. Of course I picked up a bottle of pure extract, but it cost $7.00 for 4oz!
When I got home, I did a bit of research, purchased vanilla beans online, bought some 4oz glass bottles, and lots of vodka. Turns out making vanilla extract is very simple, and makes a fantastic gift too!
Here is a brief how-to for those out there that would like to save a little money on their extract. I made a bunch because I figured it would make great holiday or birthday gifts for all the bakers in my life.
Homemade Vanilla Extract
makes 24 bottles
Ingredients
-1/2 lb of vanilla beans (you’re going to have a bit left over, I gave mine to friends, but you can make homemade vanilla vodka with them if you like!)
-slightly more than 96 oz of Vodka
-24 4oz glass bottles
Directions
-Cut your vanilla beans in half, and then make a slice down the center to expose the yummy “caviar” inside.
-Insert beans (don’t take the caviar out) into your bottle. I added 3 half beans per bottle.
-Fill bottle with vodka
-Give it a good shake
Now, is the hard part…waiting. You’re going to have to wait about 8 weeks for it to become a true extract. Every week, just give your bottles a good shake.
Note
Do your research on the vanilla beans, otherwise you can end up spending a pretty penny. Also, make sure they are fresh and preferably vacuum sealed. Otherwise, the caviar inside is completely dried up and it won’t be as potent.
Maybe I’m a cheapskate, but I would much rather spend around $1.50 versus $7.00 on a 4oz bottle of pure vanilla extract. Plus, as an added bonus, people are really impressed that you made it yourself!
Enjoy!
