With the holiday season just around the corner in full swing, I noticed quite a few recipes pop up for homemade vanilla extract. While I thought it was a great idea, I didn't give it too much thought since I had no idea where I would even get vanilla beans.
On one of my daily trips to Trader Joe's last week, I did my usual stroll of each aisle to see what new items were in. There, in the baking aisle, in mass abundance, were vanilla beans! It took everything in me not to add them all to my cart, (like in that Snickers commercial) but did purchase enough to make some extract.
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| 2 vanilla beans for $3.99 at Trader Joe's |
Making the extract couldn't be simpler. Split vanilla beans lengthwise, throw them in a jar, add vodka and voila! Its the waiting 6-8 weeks for the final product that is the hard part. Which will be perfect because if the winter is going to be as bad as they say, I will have fresh vanilla extract for cakes and cookies while snowed in...
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| I used 3 vanilla beans per 8oz of vodka. It looks like more because some are cut in half. |
