something homemade for the holidays - vanilla extract.

years ago i toyed with the idea of making some infused oils and vinegars to give away as gifts during the holidays. like many of my ideas back then, it was an idea that was not well thought out nor did i leave myself a lot of time to execute the idea, so it never came to pass.

a few months back i got on a big baking kick, and was using vanilla extract left and right. i kept thinking i needed to go to costco to get myself a bottle, but never got around to it. then i remembered that i had read an article some time before about how easy it was to make your own vanilla extract at home. you just needed to have a little bit of time.

so i went back online to do some research about making your own vanilla extract. the recipe was easier than i remembered. some vanilla beans, vodka (or any grain alcohol so long as it's 40% ABV) and a vessel. and of course, time. my only crux was the vanilla beans. it's not the most economical thing to buy at the market - it's usually about 2 to 3 pods in one jar for about $10 (or more!) and sometimes they look worse for the wear. an easy project to undertake, but could be just as costly, if not more, as buying some already made extract at the market.



but then i discovered beanilla.com. they specialize in vanilla beans and carry about 6 to 7 varieties of vanilla beans at any given time. they sell them singularly (1, 3, 5, and 10 beans) as well as in half pound and 1 pound bulk packs. based on some information i read on what variety of vanilla bean is good for different culinary applications, i opted to go for the bourbon vanilla beans to make the extract. i figured, if i was going to make some, then not only was i going to make some for myself, but a few extra to give away as gifts during the holidays. so i did a rough count and decided to make 10 bottles of extract, and so i purchased the half pound bulk pack (which contains 50 to 60 pods). even though it was sent first class postal, it arrived so quickly! the beans were vacuum sealed and looked better than any of the beans i had seen in the spice jars at the market. after the beans arrived i went to the container store for some bottles, and then to total wine and more for some vodka. i went home with two big bottles of smirnoff (and a couple of other things) and the girl that rang me up clearly thought i was having some kind of a big blowout party. ha ha!!



the total time spent wasn't even an hour. i boiled some water to pour into the bottles in order to sanitize them. while boiling the water, i scored each vanilla bean lenghtwise. poured the hot water into the bottles, and let them sit for a few minutes. once the hot water was poured out of the bottles, i added three pods to each bottle, followed up by a cup (8 fluid ounces) of vodka. seal and done! it sits in a cool, dark area for 8 weeks before it's ready to be used. the occasional gentle shaking of the bottle will help get it going. that's the time factor.



i even broke down the costs of the ingredients and the bottles to see if it was more cost efficient than buying a bottle at the store. here's what it broke down to per bottle:

bottle from the container store - $3.24

vanilla beans - $2.04 (based on approximate qty of 50 pods in the 1/2 pound bulk)

vodka - $2.24

total cost - $7.52 + my labor and time per bottle. the labor and time actively spent to make the vanilla extract was pretty minimal. you can see the size comparison of the bottle i made and gave away next to the last bottle i bought at the store. the recipe i followed yields about 8 fluid ounces (about 240ml) and the last bottle i bought was 4 fluid ounces (about 120ml) and i think i paid $8.49 for it.



as you use it, you can keep topping it off with vodka, and swap out the beans to keep it going. once the vanilla beans are removed from your extract, you can let it dry and make your own vanilla sugar or vanilla fleur de sel should you choose to. for myself, i ended up making two of these bottles instead of one big bottle - one to use, and the other as a "stock pile" so i can break into that one when the first one needs to be replenished.

the recipe:

3 vanilla beans, scored lengthwise

1 cup (8 fluid ounces) vodka*

combine the vanilla beans with a vodka and seal tightly. let sit for 8 weeks, checking on it every week or two to shake gently. then it's ready to use!

*i used vodka, but you can use gin or any other grain alcohol that's 40% alcohol by volume.