I've been dying to try to make my own vanilla extract, but vanilla beans are just so darn expensive. On a college budget, it's very easy to say, "Oh this will cost less than buying tiny bottles of vanilla extract in the long run".
But then 1 vanilla bean at Wegman's is 9 dollars.
"They're cheaper online," the internet screamed at me. But they were never cheap enough for me to take the plunge on my own accord.
So, imagine my excitement when I unwrapped a package of 5 Madagascar vanilla beans from Code Boyfriend.
After much internet searching, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to use borbon or vodka to extract the delicious perfume from the beans.
So I split the difference and made both. 1 mason jar each.
Once I start baking with them, I'll let you know if I can tell any difference at all.
- 2 - 1 pint mason jars
- 5 Vanilla Beans
- 1 and a 1/2 cups of vodka and bourbon
Split all of the vanilla beans down the middle and in half, and divide them up evenly into both sterile mason jars. I pulled my directly from a very hot dish washer. Trust me, you don't want contaminated vanilla.
Pour in enough of your chosen alcohol to cover the beans. Since I cut mine in half, this ended up being around 1 and a half cups of each type of booze.
Store in a cool, dark place, shaking daily to distribute the vanilla.
The internet tells me they will be ready in 5 weeks. I'll post a follow up picture then!
You have to tell which one tastes better, too!
ReplyDelete