Homemade Vanilla Extract

In my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie post, I offered to share my homemade vanilla extract recipe with anyone who asked for it. And lo and behold, Michele asked for it!

The problem was, I couldn’t find the recipe. I knew I got it from a magazine, and I assumed it was Food Network Magazine. But after scouring six months worth of back copies, there was no trace of the recipe.

Then I googled it. A whole bunch of recipes came up, but none of them was the one I used. I knew this because every one called for a liter of vodka, and I don’t care how much I want to make my own extract, I am not giving up an entire liter of vodka to make that happen. (Note: this is also the reason why my attempt at homemade red wine vinegar failed.)

I resolved to e-mail Michele and let her know that I spoke too soon, and share one of the other recipes for her. But before I did that, I had to make a little progress on packing for my upcoming move.

And guess what I found? Yup, you guessed it – the recipe! For some reason, I determined that the logical place to put it was in my coffee table. Not my recipe box. Nor that folder where I keep random recipes. Not even written in the inside of a cookbook. My coffee table.

So here it is.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Courtesy of Martha Stewart and Martha Stewart Living magazine.

Ingredients

• One vanilla bean
• 1/2 cup vodka
• Glass vessel with a tight seal 

Method

• Split the bean lengthwise with a sharp paring knife, and then use the tip of the knife to loosen the seeds by gently scraping inside the pod.
• Pour the vodka into a clean glass jar with a cork stop or screw top lid.
• Submerge the pod and the seeds, and leave them to soak at room temperature for one to two months.
• Once the extract is ready, discard the beans and store the jar in the refrigerator.
• It will keep for up to a year.

Generally speaking, it is probably not very cost effective to buy a vanilla bean for the sole purpose of making the extract. At my grocery store, it costs about $8 for a package of two beans. It also costs about $8 for a jar of good vanilla extract.

However, I have found that whenever I’ve needed a vanilla bean for a recipe, I’ve never needed more than one (usually only 1/2), so this is a great way to make use of the extra bean(s) before they dry up.

I did do a blind smell and taste test between my extract and the store bought extract (the good stuff – not the cheap, imitation kind) and the homemade version was much more fragrant and subtle in flavor. In fact, I assumed it was the store bought one because I couldn’t believe something I made at home would actually be better.

If you’re like me, and want to get a jump on planning your holiday gifts, Martha suggests beanilla.com as a resource that charges $13 for 10 vanilla beans. They also feature glass jars in the $4-$6 range. I used the 8.5 oz version of this jar available at The Container Store for $2.99.

Happy baking!