Easy As Sunday Morning Homemade Tahitian Vanilla Extract

Total Time: 1344 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1344 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 liters vodka, mid-shelf brand is perfect
• 30 tahitian vanilla beans, buying online is much more economical

Recipe

• 1 ***you will need 15, 4oz round bottom glass bottles with tight fitting caps, if you plan on making these as gifts.***.
• 2 choose two vanilla beans per bottle, one plump and one on the thinner side (for consistent flavor between all bottles).
• 3 score both vanilla beans lengthwise.
• 4 cut one of the scored vanilla beans in to 1" pieces.
• 5 cut second scored vanilla bean in half.
• 6 add 1" pieces of first vanilla bean into bottle; then add halved vanilla bean, cut side down.
• 7 add 1/2 cup of vodka into bottle, fasten cap tightly.
• 8 repeat for all 15 bottles.
• 9 place all 15 bottles on window sill so they are in the sun; leave in sun overnight.
• 10 lightly flip each bottle over gently to agitate contents and remove from sunlight.
• 11 allow vanilla beans to continue to steep in vodka for 6-8 weeks before use.
• 12 optional: stretch out the life of your vanilla beans by doing one of two things: 1. continually top off bottles with more vodka to continue extracting more vanilla from beans. this can be continued until vodka no longer turns brown; this is when your vanilla bean should be discarded. or 2. remove vanilla beans from bottle and allow to dry on flat, non-porous surface. add vanilla bean to a water/air-tight container and cover vanilla beans with or brown sugar. keep container closed for one week. after one week enjoy your homemade vanilla sugar! :).