Vanilla Extract

I started making my own vanilla extract a few years ago. It really is super easy.

In the beginning, I used a low quality alcohol. That is fine. The point is that I am in control of the ingredients.

Originally, I used vodka because (in my opinion) it doesn’t have much of a taste. I have since changed to rum, because that is an alcohol I can have (no wheat, rye, corn, or potatoes). If you can have it, bourbon would also be a great choice.

Gather ingredients:

A container with a good lid

Alcohol of choice

Vanilla beans (I ordered mine from Amazon)

Cutting board and knife

Open vanilla beans and lay on a cutting board

Get a small knife ready

Using the end of the knife, make a slice down the center of the bean*

*a vanilla bean is no bean—it's actually the fruit of orchids in the genus Vanilla.

Using the side of your knife, scrape the inside of the pod. (I hold the left side with my left hand, but removed it only to take the picture)

The stuff you are scraping is vanilla seeds, the black speckles you see in really high quality ice cream or vanilla cookies. That’s the good stuff!

You can see the vanilla bean seeds on the end of the knife.

Put the seeds and the entire pod into the jar.

Cut open, scrape, and put all pods into the jar.

I went ahead and used all of the beans. The cool thing is that once you have used all of the extract, you can just pour more alcohol in and reuse the same beans. Depending on the quality of the beans, you can do use them 2-4 times before replacing.

Add the alcohol and swirl it around. Make sure all of the beans are covered by the liquid.

Close lid tightly.

Store in a cool, dark place like a pantry or cupboard.

In a perfect world, it should sit for 6-12 months. At that point, it will be amazing! But..I am not very good at planning ahead. So, if you’re like me, let it sit a month and you will be ready to go.

One more thing!! Every time you walk past it, or think about it, give the jar a little swirl to get things mixed faster. :)