Almost anyone who bakes has a bottle of vanilla extract in the kitchen. Did you know that it is probably one of the easiest baking essentials to make at home? Only two ingredients are needed, vanilla beans and vodka.
I started by purchasing a twelve-pack of eight-ounce, amber-colored bottles on Amazon.com. You want darker-colored bottles to help keep any light out to maintain the quality of the finished product. I then looked online and bought Madagascar Vanilla Beans through a vendor on Etsy. I found many suppliers online, but the price was right with the seller I bought from. To fill all twelve bottles, I needed 96 ounces of vodka.
Once I had all my supplies, I washed and thoroughly dried all the bottles. Then, I added three Madagascar vanilla beans to each bottle and filled them to the top of the shoulder of the bottle with the vodka. Once that was complete, I placed the cap on and gave each bottle a good shake.
They must be stored in a cool, dark place for three to six months. I chose to keep the bottles in their original box, an easy way to avoid any potential exposure to light. Every one to two weeks, I would open the box and again shake each bottle. This process was repeated for the next few months. When you notice the vodka start to turn a light brown, this indicates that your homemade vanilla extract is ready to use. The extra bottles also make great gift ideas!
by Charlie W.
Massachusetts First 
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