Hello foodie friends!
Today’s tip is something I made over on Instagram a few weeks ago. Homemade vanilla is brewing in my pantry, and here’s how I did it:
Homemade Vanilla Extract:
Mason jar large enough to hold 8-16 ounces of alcohol (rum, bourbon, or vodka)
Alcohol of choice
5-10 vanilla beans
For every 8 ounces of alcohol, add 3-5 vanilla beans, split. For my sized jar I used 16 ounces of rum and 10 vanilla beans, ends trimmed off.
Completely cover the beans with the alcohol. You can chop up the beans if necessary to fit in the jar.
Infuse in mason jar for at least one month. Store jar in cool, dark place , shaking from time to time. You can taste test your alcohol after the 4 weeks, and let infuse longer if you want stronger flavor.
You can decant finished product into pretty bottle, and remove the beans OR you can keep the beans in original jar and top off as you use the extract. If you decant, get small bottles and give as gifts! Tie with ribbon and a tag!
My extract is at the halfway mark, so check back for a report on the finished product.
I hope you take some time to try this in YOUR kitchen this week!
Gina
