Recipe: Homemade Vanilla Extract
Source: Beanilla
Time: 5 minutes, 6-8 weeks of wait time
Ease: 1
Taste: 10
Leftover Value: 10--It just gets better as time goes on!
Down the Drain or Keep it in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!
If you had told me three years ago that I would love baking so much that I would scour the internet for ingredients not sold in the typical supermarket--I would have argued the ridiculousness of such a notion. Yet here I am, ordering things like lavender and vanilla beans for recipes that call for such rarities.
If you have never used a real live vanilla bean in a recipe, it is well worth the cost and wait of ordering online. The first time I purchased vanilla beans online was to make Pioneer Woman's Petite Vanilla Bean Scones. Instantly, I learned that there is no substitute for the beauty and wonder that is a vanilla bean.
I got the idea to make vanilla extract after I received this as a gift:
While it was an extremely thoughtful gift, at the time, Hubby and I could probably count on one hand how many mixed drinks we'd ever tasted. We've explored a little since then, but again, only a little.
The picture doesn't do the size of the bottle justice, so to prove that I had a lot of vodka on my hands:
I had read on Beanilla.com that vanilla extract involved vodka, and after contemplating how many White Russians (Hubby's drink of choice) that we would have to make to use the entire bottle, I decided I'd use it for vanilla extract.
My goal was to make it for Christmas gifts, so I knew that even with the massive amount I had on hand I would still need a little more.
That's when I realized just how expensive my 1.75 liter bottle of Grey Goose went for:
And how much the cheapest bottle of vodka in the store went for:
That's not totally true. The Canal's brand was cheaper, but also had a lower alcohol percent, so I went for one step above that. I also decided to make only a few bottles with the Grey Goose, all things considered.
If you choose to do this at home, you do not need to order the "kit" from Beanilla. I only did because I was making twelve. If you visit the website, you'll notice that they have updated the packaging on the bottles compared to mine pictured below. They've also raised the prices. When I bought mine, the deal was $7.99 a bottle when you purchase twelve bottles or $9.99 for one. Now it is $11.99 for one and $9.99 if you purchase twelve. Unless you are making the extract in bulk or for gifts, it would be more cost effective to just order vanilla beans and buy your bottles somewhere else.
I will admit, I was a little giddy when my bottles and beans arrived in the mail.
I've always found homemade gifts to be the most meaningful and I knew from the start that I wanted to make this for some of the special women in my life who I knew would not only love the gesture, but also use it up.
It couldn't be simpler, but just in case, they put the instructions right on the bottle.
For an 8 oz bottle, you need five vanilla beans and one cup of vodka.
Each bottle was packed with seven beans. Knowing this, I had planned out a few uses for the extras in my holiday baking.
I love these bottles.
I really, really do.
Sorry. It's the little things that excite me.
The first step is to slice the five vanilla beans down the center.*
*Note: Yes, I know there are only four beans pictured here. I promise, I used five.
Shove the beans into the bottle. The recipe on Beanilla says that you can cut them up into tootsie roll sized pieces, but that seemed like it would be a drag to deal with later, so I decided against it.
A funnel is of extreme importance for getting the vodka into the bottle without making a mess....a very expensive and smelly mess.
Pour one cup of vodka into the bottle. Considering that the bottle is 8 oz, there is no real need to use a measuring cup rather than just pouring straight from the bottle. However, I happen to have issues with needing to see things measured out accurately, therefore the measuring cup was used.
Yet even with the measuring cup, I occasionally had to add more. The entire bean should be submerged in liquid. This is important to remind those you are gifting. The beans can stay in for as long as you want, however, once the liquid level goes below the beans they should be removed.
Every few days, give the bottles a good shake. This is what mine looked like after about two weeks:
I'm always excited about giving gifts, but I think I was most excited about this gift.
There is no comparison between pure vanilla extract and imitation. Pure always wins. However, if you're thinking it's much easier to just pick up a bottle of McCormick's Pure Vanilla Extract, keep in mind that what you pay for 2 oz of that stuff is around what it will cost to make 8 oz of your own.
Make it yourself. Trust me. You'll thank me. And anyone you make it for will thank you, too.
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