Ever notice how much vanilla extract costs, and I’m not talking about the artificial extract? And on trips to mexico, do you go into the store just to buy a ton of vanilla extract to bring home, just because it tastes so much better? I do!

That is until I figured out how easy it is to make it. It tastes so good and best of all you have control on what goes it and what the flavour is. It does take a LOT of patience though but if you continuously make it, you’ll have a never ending supply of it and you can splurge on how much you put in! Plus it makes fabulous Christmas gifts.

Ingredients
Vanilla beans, grade B
Vodka, unflavoured
Glass jars

Directions
Take a knife and split the vanilla bean. Add 6-8 split vanilla beans to every 1 cup of vodka. Make sure that the vodka completely covers the vanilla bean.

Put the caps on the jars and store in a dark location that doesn’t get any sunlight. Shake the bottle about once a week and let it age. You can start using the extract at 8 weeks, but I leave it for 6 months before I start using it. The longer you let it age, the darker the colour and intense the flavour will be.

About Vanilla Beans
For vanilla extract you want to use grade B vanilla, which is also called extract grade as it will give the most vanilla flavour. They contain less moisture than grade A beans and are less attractive. They are smaller and you may be able to purchase them already split. Vanilla beans from the grocery store are very expensive, I purchase them online from ebay.

Flavours
There are different types of vanilla beans, and each as its own flavour. You can even mix the flavours to get your own unique blend.

bold and smokey = Mexican vanilla
Rich and creamy = Madagascar Vanilla
Floral aroma and cherry-chocolate = Tahitian vanilla