Homemade vanilla extract is easy to make and makes a great gift. Use brandy, vodka, or rum and vanilla pods, and let it mature for at least eight weeks. Glass containers are recommended for storage.
It’s very easy to make vanilla extract at home, and besides being useful for home baking, homemade vanilla extract also makes a great gift. If you’re considering making vanilla extract to include in gifts, keep in mind that it takes at least eight weeks to mature, and longer maturation periods are highly recommended, as vanilla extract only gets better with age.
To make vanilla extract, you’ll need an alcohol like brandy, vodka, or rum. Stay away from strongly flavored alcohols, as the flavoring will disrupt the vanilla extract. If you use something like vodka, any brand will do, but if you use brandy or rum, try to find a mid-range brand. The really cheap brands can acquire strange flavors in the steeping process, while the more expensive varieties are great, but due to their cost perhaps not the best choice.
You will also need vanilla pods. Many markets carry vanilla beans and they are also available in health food stores or through mail order catalogs. Keep in mind that vanilla beans can be expensive, as they need to be harvested, sweated to develop the vanillin compound that gives vanilla beans their flavor, dried, and graded before they can be sold. Look for beans that look oily, have a shiny appearance and a strong aroma.
Finally, you’ll need a jar of some sort. Glass containers are highly recommended for storing vanilla extract; something like a jar can be a good choice. Wash the jar well before use and label the date the extract was made, so you can refer to it when you check out the extract later.
Start by pouring two cups of alcohol into the jar, leaving some room at the top. Next, partially split six vanilla beans and drop them into the jar. These amounts can be increased or decreased as needed for larger and larger recipes. Push the beans down so they bend, bringing more of the bean into contact with the alcohol, then close the jar tightly and store in a cool, dry place. After eight weeks, the vanilla extract should have developed a rich, dark color and intense aroma. Steep longer and it will get even stronger; as long as vanilla extract is stored in a sealed container in a cool, dark, dry place, it will keep indefinitely.
If you want to give vanilla extract as a gift, you can pour it into smaller containers or give it away in the same container you soaked it in. If decanting the extract into other containers, consider including a vanilla bean, which will allow the flavor to develop even further while adding a nice looking finish to the finished product.
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