Vanilla

I love the flavoring of vanilla; in baked goods and desserts.  If a recipe calls for one teaspoon of vanilla extract, I use two.  The problem with having this love is you go through vanilla more than some.  Also either most stores sell imitation vanilla or the real deal is pretty pricey.  You can buy a two ounce bottle for $8 or so.  That is simply crazy my friends, especially when I love to bake.

To solve this problem, my mom and I decided to make a batch of our own real vanilla extract, and it was pretty simple to make.  Don't be scared...it's not laborious hours of pressing each and every vanilla bean.  All you have to do is make a simple concoction and the let it SIT.  That is right, I thought that was too good to be true.  The only thing special required when making vanilla extract is patience, if you started today it won't be ready for at least six to eight weeks.  Since it's a two month project, I suggest making your vanilla in bulk.

HOW TO MAKE VANILLA EXTRACT (the real stuff)

-Whole Vanilla Beans: we recommend ordering them online, it's more cost effective.  We bought them at Mountain Rose Herbs
-Vodka: we used the cheapest vodka we could find.  It really doesn't matter which vodka you choose so why not the cheapest!
That's it...other than a large glass jar that seals (we used a quart sized mason jar) and the packaging for when you're done.  For the packaging we bought 2oz. amber glass bottles through Mountain Rose Herbs.  You can buy any size but we thought 2ox. bottles were a perfect size for gifts!

First, carefully slit vanilla beans lengthwise starting just below the tip of the bean.  After pouring the vodka in your jar; place beans in the jars.  The ratio: 2 large vanilla beans to 1 cup of vodka.  Place your sealed jar in a cool, dark place like a pantry.  Give it a good shake every day and after 6-8 weeks (depending on how strong you would like your vanilla flavoring), strain and pour into desired packaging.

This makes a great gift for family and friends or you can keep some of the bottles for yourself and your baking.  We decided to test our vanilla by making two batches of whip cream.  The first batch was with some real vanilla extract we already had, and the second with our own vanilla extract.  The results, our homemade vanilla extract is great and ready for some baking...So yummy!

In conclusion, homemade is almost always better than store bought, and in this case we're really happy with how it turned out.   I recommend you try making some of your own!

Also I would recommend checking out the Mountain Rose Herbs website, they have some pretty cool products!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!