Homemade Vanilla {Flashback Friday}

This homemade vanilla makes a great Christmas gift or the perfect pantry staple!

I love giving and receiving homemade gifts.  There's something so special about the extra effort put into each gift.  Last year, I gave my father-in-law a year's worth of baked goods; he could pick anything and I'd make him his own treat once a month.  He loved the gift, and I've really enjoyed baking something for him each month.

Another homemade gift I love to give is vanilla.  Anyone who spends time in the kitchen can benefit from this gift.  I use vanilla in cookies, cakes, muffins...almost everything I bake has vanilla in it.  I always use my homemade vanilla.  Last fall my boss traveled to Madagascar and brought back some Madagascan Vanilla Beans for me; the flavor it gives this vanilla is outrageous!

If you want to be really creative, you can design your own label for the vanilla like I did for the bottle in the top picture.  It gives the gift an extra personal touch!

The vanilla takes about 8 weeks to reach full potency, so you'll want to make it soon if you want to gift it for Christmas!  (I know it's only 7 weeks away, but that should be fine.  You could always leave a vanilla bean or two in the jars you divide it into.)
 
Get the recipe: Homemade Vanilla

Homemade Vanilla

Are you looking for a fun homemade Christmas present?  Or maybe you're just looking to save some money in the kitchen.  I have a fun solution for you--homemade vanilla!  As a baker, I would be thrilled to receive a bottle of homemade vanilla from a friend.  It would be even more special knowing that they made something for me!  Plus, making your own vanilla can add up to significant savings. Take a look at these numbers:

One 8oz bottle of good quality pure vanilla extract costs about $14.99!!

Whereas,

One 1.75L (about 60 ounces) of Vodka cost me $11.97 and 40 Vanilla Beans cost me $9.99.  I spent a grand total of $21.96 to make 60 ounces of homemade vanilla.  The cost for 8 ounces works out to be about $2.93!  So very much cheaper than buying it! 

If you start soon, you'll have just enough time to whip up a fabulous homemade Christmas gift.  Vanilla takes about 3 months to reach it's full strength (some people give a shorter period of time, some longer).  Just follow my easy step-by-step directions and you'll be on your way to homemade vanilla in no time!

1.  Gather your ingredients.  One 1.75L bottle of vodka, 40 vanilla beans, and a glass jar big enough to fit it all (I used an empty pickle jar).  You don't want to use the cheapest vodka, nor the most expensive.  Go somewhere in the middle.  I used Madagascar Vanilla Beans. 

2.  Cut your vanilla beans in half down the middle.  I cut mine almost all the way apart, leaving about 1 inch at the top of the bean still intact.

See those beautiful seeds?  That's where the amazing flavor comes from!

3.  Put the sliced vanilla beans into a large glass jar.

4.  Pour vodka over vanilla beans.

5.  Seal the jar and give it a good shake.  Put it in a cool dark place (I put mine in the back of my pantry) and shake it every few days.  I noticed after 2 days that the vodka had already taken on a dark brown color and there were millions of tiny vanilla seeds floating around.

After about 2 months, you'll end up with your own homemade vanilla extract. 

6.  Remove the vanilla beans from the jar.  You can choose to drain the extract, using a coffee filter or paper towel, to strain out the seeds, or you can leave the seeds in the extract.  Pour the vanilla into small jars and store or distribute to your friends.

See, I told you it was easy!  I'm looking forward to giving this gift to my friends and family at Christmas.  I think I'll buy some small amber bottles and make my own labels. 

****UPDATED PICTURES HERE****

Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream

Vanilla Bean Ice-Cream (12/30/10)
Mike and I had some friends over for dessert one night and I wanted something different for dessert. I still had 2 vanilla beans left (time to buy more!) and I was wanting to use them! Mike loves ice-cream and I have an ice-cream maker but we haven't been impressed with the results from previous recipes. I'd never made a custard based ice-cream and I decided it was time to try it. We were all pleased with the results and we'll definitely be making this ice-cream again!

You will need:
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 large egg yolks

1. In a medium saucepan, warm milk, sugar, salt and 1/2 cup of cream.

2. Using a sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add them to the hot milk mixture, along with the vanilla pod.

3. Remove milk mixture from heat, cover, and let it steep for 30 minutes.

4. Re-warm the vanilla milk mixture.

5. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks. Add 1/8 cup of the milk mixture to the eggs and whisk until combined.

6. Pour yolk mixture into milk mixture.

7. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens.

8. Remove vanilla pod (rinse and wipe clean, you can re-use it!).

9. Stir remaining 1 cup of cream into custard to cool.

10. Chill thoroughly in fridge. (At least 3-5 hours, overnight is even better)

11. Churn ice-cream in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Mine took about 30 minutes.

12. Scoop ice-cream into freezer-safe container and freeze until ready to serve.