Homemade Vanilla Extract

A few years back, a friend mentioned that her husband was creating vanilla extract from scratch. I was intrigued, puzzled, and amazed. I had no clue that making extracts at home was possible.

After some research, I discovered how simple it was to create. It's not fast, but certainly easy.

The initial piece of advice is to steer clear of buying vanilla beans from your local grocery store or Walmart. Purchasing them there could be financially draining, and frankly, I'm not sure about the quality you'd get.

If you have seen Momma O's Facebook page, you may have seen a vendor named "Vanilla Bean Kings". This is where I source my beans from. You can buy directly from them or go to Amazon and get them there.

I always recommend researching further to determine the amount of vanilla you wish to make and its intended use. Numerous websites and blogs can assist you in your journey to create homemade vanilla.

The recipe I use is directly from Vanilla Bean Kings. I will post the link below.

I also recently learned that you can use any alcohol you choose, as long as it is at least 70 proof, so you will want to avoid alcohols such as Malibu Rum, Disaronno Amaretto, and Fireball Cinnamon Whisky.

I've found that Madagascar grade B beans are ideal for making extract. Their slightly drier and less oily nature makes the extraction process easier.

This is my second attempt at making vanilla extract, but it's the first time I'm using Captain Morgan Spiced Silver Rum. It has a 70 proof and a vanilla base. I am confident this will result in a fantastic, rich vanilla extract.

Ingredients:

750 ml Captain Morgan Spiced Silver Rum

2.65 ounces grade B Madagascar Vanilla Beans

Directions:

Using a kitchen scale, measure out your beans and alcohol.

Using a sharp knife, slice the beans lengthwise down the middle.

You don't need to scrape the beans out of the hull, but if you did, this is what they look like .

After slicing the beans, I took a kitchen shear (scissors) and cut the beans into thirds, and put them into a 1 quart Mason jar.

I poured the alcohol over the beans and secured with a lid.

You can start to see the beans beginning to float.

Shake your jar gently evey couple of days, and store in a cool dark area.

This is a lengthy process that can take anywhere from 6-12 months. I plan to let this batch steep for a full year. When it is ready, I will re-bottle it and gift if to friends and family.

Here is the link for the page where I got the amounts of alcohol and beans to use:

How Many Vanilla Beans Do You Need for Extract? – Vanilla Bean Kings