Homemade Vanilla Extract
Stop Buying Over-priced Vanilla Extract - make your own homemade extract with 2 ingredients ~ (It's SO easy!)
Servings: 1.5 cups
Calories: 25kcal
Equipment
- 1 pint jar with lid
Ingredients
- 4 vanilla beans
- 1.5 cups alcohol such as bourbon, brandy, rum or vodka
Instructions
- Slice each of the vanilla beans in half crosswise so they will fit easily into your jar.
- With the tip of a sharp knife slice the beans open down the centers, keeping one end intact.
- Load the 4 vanilla beans in your jar and pour your 1.5 cups alcohol such as bourbon, brandy, rum or vodka over them, making sure they are are completely submerged. Give the jar a vigorous shake and close the lid.
- Put the jar in a cool dark place like a pantry or cupboard. Not the refrigerator. For the first week or two, try to remember to give it a good shake every day or every other day. This helps the infusion process along.After that, shaking it once a week or even every couple of weeks is fine.
- Wait at least 8 weeks before using your vanilla. Give it a sniff ~ you should smell vanilla, not simply alcohol.
- As you use your vanilla you can refill your jar with fresh alcohol, just be sure your beans are always submerged. I like to decant my finished vanilla extract into a smaller jar to use, while the larger batch ages.
- You can refill your jar for up to a year or two before it will start to lose potency. Simply top off with bourbon when needed, and add a new vanilla bean now and then as well.
Notes
I recommend reading through the post for all the details and photos for this fun project.
You can make a half batch if you prefer, but you will still need 3-4 vanilla beans.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Tbsp | Calories: 25kcal | Sodium: 0.1mg | Potassium: 0.1mg | Iron: 0.002mg