Ok, I know making homemade vanilla extract sounds super intimidating and overly ambitious, but honestly vanilla extract barely requires a recipe, and the reward is the most intoxicatingly warm vanillariffic extract EVER.  It took me about 7 minutes to throw this together.  The hardest part is waiting a whole month for the beans to steep before using.  Take your favorite booze, (I’d stick with vodka because it allows the vanilla flavor to shine through best), add vanilla beans with seeds scraped, and let it set for a month or so, giving it a shake whenever you think about it.  THAT’S IT.

add booze and shake!

Give this as a gift for Christmas and watch people’s mouths drop open over the (minimal) effort you took to make it!  After making, store the bottle in a dark cupboard and give it a few good shakes every week.  After 5 days, the liquid will go from clear to this…

day 5!

The color will only deepen to an even more beautiful amber over time.  A good and inexpensive place to buy your vanilla beans in bulk is Amazon.  I’ve always had good luck with the Beanilla brand’s beans from Madagascar; the pods arrive plump and chock full of sparkly seeds.  Sixteen beans for $10.50 is a really good deal, considering the grocery store sells one bean for $5.99!  Unsealed, the beans will dry out pretty quickly so for the best bean longevity, seal the unused beans first in a ziplock bag, then in an airtight canister or container.  I use 5-6 pods, depending on the size, with the beans scraped out and placed into a super cute 8.5 ounce glass jar filled with vodka.  I bought the above pictured container from The Container Store.

Vanilla Extract

Prep time: 7 minutes
Stew time: 30 days
Makes: 8.5 ounces of vanilla extract

Print This Recipe!

Ingredients:

• 8.5 oz of good quality vodka (just over a cup’s worth)
• 6 vanilla beans

Method:

1. Split vanilla pods down the middle, taking care not to cut all the way through the pod, and splay open to reveal the seeds.
2. Using the back of a knife, scrape the seeds out of the pod and add to the extract container.
3. Add all the scraped pods into the extract container and pour vodka to the brim.
4. Seal container and place in a cool, dark cupboard.  Shake every week and let sit for 30 days before use.
5. When the extract is ready for use, you may strain the seeds from the liquid if preferred.