Homemade vanilla extract

Step 1: Buy a pretty glass bottle. I like the ones with the rubber tops, like these.

Step 2: Split 3 vanilla beans (buy them online on Amazon for great prices), add to your pretty glass bottle, and fill with 8 oz liquor (vodka this time, I'm making bourbon next).

Step 3: Be patient. (Like 2 - 3 months of patience.) And shake it up periodically.

Week 0                                 vs.                       Week 1

I can't wait for the next few months!! (I'll include periodic photo updates as the weeks go by.)

My favorite part about this process is taking the photos. Something so absolutely gorgeous about these vanilla beans.

Can you see the teeny black specks of vanilla seeds?? (Week 0)

I'm loving my new 100 mm macro lens! You can really get close and personal with your food and discover things you never knew.

Right after stirring the extract (Week 1)

My advice to you: go buy some pretty glass bottles and some vanilla beans from Amazon and some super cheap vodka and make a bunch of these as gifts for any baker friends. For the price of maybe 1 or 2 tiny vanilla extract bottles you can give someone 8+ ounces of delicious homemade extract! And with the 2-3 month wait, if you start now they'll be ready just in time for the holidays.

Yours in loving homemade gift ideas,

Jacqueline

For some other great photos of homemade vanilla extract, check out Annie's Eats or No Recipes. (No Recipes made the vanilla extract directly in mini vodka and bourbon bottles. Genius!)