Homemade Vanilla Extract



 I had a lot of questions regarding the homemade vanilla extract I made, so I thought I could give all the details here for anyone who is interested in making their own! 

I did a lot of research beforehand, so I'm just sharing what methods I decided to go with! I will link all the items that I can. 

This extract needs to sit for 3 months or longer. I plan to give them as Christmas gifts, so starting them in August gives me plenty of time to allow the extraction to take place. You can always gift it right after making, just be sure to inform whomever you gift it to that it needs to sit for X amount of time! 


Supplies needed:

Vanilla beans (grade b, if possible. you need 1.5 vanilla beans per 4oz, so do your math according to the size containers you with to use. I bought these)

Glass bottles/jars (I used these 4oz bottles)

Rum or Vodka (Your preference on which to use- it just needs to be 80 proof or higher. The higher the better for extraction purposes)

Funnel

Labels or Tags (I'll put a link to download and print the tags I made. You can print them on card stock and cut out or use sticker labels like these. You can find "off-brand" options for the same sticker sizes at walmart and target. Just make sure they are 2.5" in diameter. The same Avery stickers are also about $5 cheaper at walmart.)


just a little note.... this bottle is not big enough lol just go ahead and get the half gallon bottle if you want to do all 16 bottles.



Instructions:

You want to gently score down the center of each vanilla bean to open it up a bit to allow more of the vanilla flavor to come out. Try not to cut all the way through to the back of side of the bean, but if you do, it's not a huge deal. 

Place vanilla beans in your bottles. You need 1.5 vanilla beans per 4 ox of vodka or rum. I had to cut my beans in half to fit in the bottles, but there is still the same amount needed. 

Use a funnel to fill the bottles with rum or vodka. Leave just a little headspace. Put the lids on tightly.

Add your labels or stickers. Write the date you bottled the extract and the date it will be ready. (3-4 months from the bottling date.) If you are keeping the bottles for the next few months, give the bottles a quick shake every week or so. You will gradually see the extract begin to darken.


From everything I read leading up to making my own extract, it does not expire. You also can top off your bottles with more rumor vodka as it gets low.  






Click below for the link to print the labels:

If using rum click here

If using vodka click here 


If you decide to make your own, I would love to see!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homemade Apple Butter!

Image
 Apple butter is easier to make than you would expect, so keep reading to find out how! Supplies and ingredients needed: apples (13-18 usually fill a crock pot) brown sugar (1 cup) regular sugar (1/3 cup) nutmeg (1/3 teaspoon) ground cloves (a few shakey shakes) cinnamon (1 heaping tablespoon) vanilla extract (2 teaspoons) crock pot blender or immersion blender knife and peeler (or an apple peeler and corer. I used this one this year and it was very handy!) mason jars (This recipe makes between 7-9 half pints. Example of jars . Use any size you wish.) *if you are planning to can your jars, you need the following: large stock pot (Big enough to cover the jars in water with at least 1 inch of water over the jars) a few dish towels jar lifter (I recommend this canning starter set . I believe it's a few dollars cheaper at Walmart) labels (Optional. See the bottom for a free download. Any 2.5 inch round label will work. I have these .) scraps of fabric (Optional. Just rip strips of fab...
Read more

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Image
  Since I made homemade chili seasoning the other day, I thought why not try taco seasoning as well? It was SUPER easy and the sodium level difference is I N S A N E. I was looking on the back of a taco seasoning packet to see if the spices I chose were close to those that are in the packets... um, the packet contained 16 ingredients (my recipe has 8, just sayin') and there were only a few ingredients that I knew of without having to google the names.... I'm not sure why sugar is necessary in taco seasoning.. or cottonseed oil... So, the packet of seasoning from the store roughly contains 1,320 mg of sodium. Why is that even necessary? I normally could not use a whole packet of seasoning when I make tacos because of how salty the meat would be. This homemade recipe contains about 727 mg of sodium.  Ingredients: 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (I do a heaping scoop on my measuring spoon) 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (I do a heaping scoop on my measuring spoon)...
Read more