Homemade Vanilla Extract

Ingredients

• About 20 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• One 750-milliliter bottle vodka

Directions

1. Clean a glass bottle with a stopper or cap (such as a 750 milliliter bottle or a 1.75 liter water carafe) and dry it well.
2. Scrape out the pulp of the vanilla beans. Put the pods and scraped pulp into the bottle. (Scraping out the pulp first will help it flavor the alcohol quicker.)
3. Pour the vodka into the bottle. You can use a funnel to make sure you don't spill.
4. Close the stopper or cap on the bottle and shake the vanilla and vodka to distribute the seeds.
5. The vodka will still be clear for the first few days. Once every couple of days give the extract a good shake to break up the pulp and get the seeds distributed in the vodka. After a week the extract will start to get darker and develop some flavor. At 3 weeks, it should have an amber color and a richer aroma. The vanilla extract will be ready for use after about 2 months. Use it in any recipe that calls for vanilla extract.