DIY Vanilla Extract -Hawthorne and Main

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$

I love, love, love, vanilla!

Vanilla ice cream, vanilla lotion, vanilla body spray, vanilla candy…you name it.

If its vanilla, I can’t get enough of it.

So…… why not make REAL vanilla extract? It is so easy and super cheap too!

SUPPLIES:

-Vanilla beans

-Vodka (you can also use bourbon or something similar)

-Glass Jar

There are many places that you can get vanilla beans such as online or from a grocery store or a health food store.

Here is a good place to get vanilla beans online if you don’t want to go traipsing around town looking for some.

These vanilla beans smell sooooo good, I found myself wanting to rub it on my neck as a perfume…… it’s that good.

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$

You can use any glass jar that you have on hand, even a mason jar will work good. I have heard that dark bottles like these are best, but if you keep the jar in a cool dark place it should be fine in any jar. I happened to have an empty maple syrupjar that I used to make my vanilla.

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$

Once you have all of your supplies, take your vanilla beans and slice
them lengthwise. A good rule of thumb is 3-5 beans per 1 cup of vodka. Basically the stronger you want your vanilla the more vanilla beans you can add. My jar was 12 oz and I used 6 vanilla beans.

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$

After slicing the beans length wise I scrapped all of the inside gooey part out and put that in the jar, to help the vanilla infuse better. It will eventually settle down at the bottom.

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$

A FEW QUICK NOTES:

-Store in a cool dark place

-Shake your jar about once a week

-Vanilla becomes better with time, but after about 6-8 weeks you can start to use it

-After 6 months the extraction process should be done, it is up to you at that point if you want to strain out the vanilla bean bits or leave them in.

-After the extraction process is complete you could divide the vanilla up into smaller jars and give away as gifts

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$

The vanilla will turn a better color and look more elegant as it ages. This stuff is so good! It will not disappoint.

$Real vanilla extract can be pricey and hard to find. Learn how easy it is to make your own DIY vanilla extract for a fraction of the best and an amazing taste!$