Make Your Own Vanilla Extract

I love to bake and do so at least once per week. At times, especially during holidays or even when stress weighs heavy, the kitchen will smell like the neighborhood bakery with aromas of sugar, chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla. Pure vanilla extract is one of those ingredients that is a staple in my kitchen pantry. Think about the some of your favorite recipes and how much you would miss vanilla extract of you left it out altogether or when you have used a lesser quality extract. Vanilla cake or even chocolate chip cookies wouldn't be the same!

When you purchase vanilla extract, many pricey options at the store are made from artificial or synthetic ingredients and the amount if any, of real vanilla in the bottle can be minimal.  You're paying an expensive price for a bottle of weak, unknowns.  I did a quick scan of the grocery shelves this week and the pure extracts range from $167.84 to $199.84 per quart while homemade extract is less than ten dollars per quart. My current batch is at a cost of $8.29. Wow! The cost varies depending upon the price of the vanilla beans, the brand of the alcohol you choose, and if you opt for increasing the intensity of your extract.

Split the beans and add them to a bottle of alcohol of your choice. Give a few shakes and store in a cool, dark place. Infusing takes time, so give them the gift of time. The longer it sits, the darker the color and the better the taste. Patience! I promise that the outcome will be well worth the wait. 

Vanilla extract is really pretty easy- all you need to make your own extract is two ingredients and time.  Your end product will be better and even more inexpensive. The general ratio for infusing is 1 ounce vanilla beans to 1 cup of alcohol.Time to get thee to the liquor store!

So, what do you need for homemade vanilla extract?

You will need 5-6 vanilla beans per 8 ounces of alcohol. I started with vodka but may consider making a special batch with bourbon in the future. There are three types of vanilla beans- Madagascar and Tahitian are the most common and any of the three would make some kick ass homemade extract.

Think, if you start now, all of the holiday baking will have the benefit of your very own homemade vanilla extract! I can smell the aroma of vanilla wafting through those kitchens now! Store the infusing vanilla out of direct sunlight and give it a good shake once per week.

A couple of extra bonuses-- you can  continuously add more alcohol to the bottle as you use it. You can also remove the beans once you have used the extract and bury them in your sugar bin to make delicious vanilla sugar. Homemade vanilla extract also makes a unique gift for those who enjoy baking.

An ending note: This was my first time making my own extract. I plan to use more beans next time, and don't underestimate the importance of aging your extract for at least six months before using.