Homemade Vanilla Extract
Whether it's to save a bit of money, to enhance your baking experience, or to make a thoughtful handmade gift, there's something special about making homemade vanilla extract. Best of all, to make this easy vanilla extract recipe, all you need is a couple of simple ingredients!
Equipment
- 1 half-pint mason jar
- paring knife
Ingredients
- 5 whole vanilla beans
- 1 cup 80 proof alcohol ie. vodka, bourbon, rum, brandy
Instructions
- Wash and sanitize the jar, boiling it for 10 minutes (optional)
- Split the vanilla beans in half.
- For beautiful flecks of vanilla bean in your extract, scrape the vanilla beans and add the seeds to the jar.
- Cut the beans in half (so they'll fit in the jar) and add them to the jar.
- Pour the alcohol over the beans, ensuring they're completely submerged (you may need to fiddle with them a bit or add a bit more alcohol).
- Close up the jar and shake it up once a week to help speed a long the extraction process. Age for 6 months to a year. When it smells like vanilla instead of alcohol, it's ready to use!
Notes
- The type of vanilla beans doesn't matter. Choose from Madagascar Bourbon, Tahitian and Mexican beans, Grade A or Grade B (Grade B beans are less expensive and meant for extracting, however)
- It is important for the vanilla beans to be completely submerged. Beans that are exposed to air may get slimy, mould, and potentially ruin the extract.
- The longer the extract is left to age, the better it will be.
- To save money, you may use as little as 3 beans to one cup of alcohol. You may also use more for a richer, deeper flavour.
- Once the vanilla has aged long enough, the beans can be kept in the alcohol so it can continue to develop flavour.
- For a continuous supply of vanilla extract, top off the jar with more alcohol, although this may dilute the quality over time.
- Old vanilla beans can be reused in a future extract, or dried and used to flavour sugar.
