I’m sure you’ve probably seen this everywhere by now, but since it was part of mine and hubby’s homemade Christmas gift baskets this year, I couldn’t post about it until now or I would have spoiled the surprise! When I first learned how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract though, I was so excited. It’s much cheaper than buying it in the store! And since I was about three months away from Christmas at the time, I knew they would make perfect gifts as well. I’ve been using the homemade vanilla extract in my baking ever since, and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to store-bought!
Here’s what you’ll need:
Drop the vanilla beans into the bottles. Mine held about one cup of liquid each, so I put in 3 vanilla beans per bottle. Fill up the bottles with the vodka. And, that’s it! Store the bottles in a cool, dark place for about three months before using, making sure to give them a shake every once in a while. The picture below was taken about a week and a half after making the extract; it’ll get even darker over time.
JavaCupcake side note: As a part of my goals for 2010, I wanted to create a signature cupcake. I’m hoping that this recipe (in three months!) can be used as a part of it! Thank you Tracy for this great recipe!!
3/19/2010 Update: My vanilla extra is READY and I”ll be using it in all my upcoming recipes!
love it and must have jars! U ROCK SISTAH!
Aww, thanks! I can't wait to see what your signature cupcake is!!
I finally made my vanilla extract…. I'm gonna photograph my bottles and post them soon!
Where did you get the super cute bottles?