Homemade Vanilla Extract

This awesome recipe is courtesy of Jen Ozick. Read more about her here.

If you start soon the extract makes a nice Christmas gift. You can buy little glass bottles at a Hobby store, tie a bow around the neck of the bottle, and brighten someones day!
Makes: 3+cups

Ingredients:
12 vanilla pods
1 (750 ml) bottle of Vodka

Preparation:

Using a knife or scissors, split the vanilla pods in half length-wise, leaving about 1/2 inch UN-cut.
Place the pods into a full bottle of vodka.
Make sure the vanilla pods are completely submerged and cover the container tightly.
Place in the back of your pantry and mark the date on your calendar. 12 weeks later…
You have 750 ml of vanilla extract!

Note: You can make different types of vanilla extract. For Tahitian vanilla beans, I use vodka. They’re kinda special and have a delicate flavor, the vodka let’s that shine. I currently have a batch of Madagascar vanilla beans in a bottle of rum. It’s yummy too!

Oh..a little tip! Amazon has great prices on vanilla beans. 🙂

[note title=”Did you know!”] Mexican vanilla is produced in much less quantity and marketed as the vanilla from the land of its origin. Vanilla sold in tourist markets around Mexico is sometimes not actual vanilla extract, but is mixed with an extract of the ton bean, which contains cou. Tonka bean extract smells and tastes like vanilla, but coumarin has been shown to cause liver damage in lab animals and is banned in food in the US by the Food and Drug Administration. [/note]