Vanilla Project

I have dreamed about, thought about, read about it, prepared for it, but I have never as of yet done it! What, you might ask? Make my very own Vanilla Extract, with real vanilla beans, and real alcohol. Homemade has never been so great!

It is so simple:

Vanilla Beans (grade B or better),

Vodka (or 80 proof alcohol)

A bottle

I read lots of different websites and decided upon about 6-7 beans per cup of alcohol, for a 2 fold strength, given 3 beans is FDA standard. I already bake with 2 fold strength, so I would hate to step down. This little experiment became a realization when Vanilla Products USA (ebay) sent me free Vanilla Beans with my purchase of 2 fold strength Madagascar Vanilla Extract (which is fabulous)! Thanks Vanilla Product USA, I highly recommend you to everyone.

So, I sliced the beans down the center with about an inch still in tact at the top, for ease of removal later on. Some websites recommended scraping out the caviar, as it enhanced flavor. It mentioned this if you were trying to produce extract in 6 weeks. Since I have time on my side, 6 months, I opted out of that messy step, trusting these little guys to have plenty of time to seep!

Most places recommend a glass bottle, I got lazy on this step. I had a 32 oz. bottle that formerly housed Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Extract, and deemed that a worthy enough container. I filled it without about 20-22 beans and 3 cups of Vodka, immersing these guys completely.

I gave it a good shake, then I kindly placed the bottle in my cool, dark cupboard, and patiently (key word, patiently) will wait for the vanilla to seep into the alcohol producing a most happy extract. Oh joy, Connie's Cookies can hardly wait for your flavor to enhance, embolden, and empower!