Homemade Vanilla Extract

Growing up with two grandmothers who were extraordinary bakers, there’s no surprise that I picked up a few tricks along the way.

If you bake as much as I do, you obviously know that real vanilla extract is 1) a necessity and 2) crazy expensive to buy a few ounces at a time.

I’m going to share the easiest and best homemade vanilla extract recipe with you – and afterwards you’ll be kicking yourself for not doing this sooner.

Ready?

1. Buy 3 un-sulfured vanilla beans from the bulk section of your grocery store.
   Pro tip : don’t buy 1 bean at a time from the McCormick jars in the spice aisle.
2. Buy 1 bottle of cheap dark rum. (And don’t drink any of it…)
3. Put the 3 whole vanilla beans in the bottle of dark rum, close the cap tight and put it in the back of your cabinet for at least 6 months.
4. Oh – and label it so you know when it’s ready to roll.

Really? Yes, really. That’s it.

There’s no harm in leaving the vanilla beans and rum sit for a year, or two, or three. I think my mother has vanilla bottles from 1992 still laying around.

What the heck shall I do with all this vanilla?

• Use it every time a recipe calls for vanilla extract
• Use it in a recipe that doesn’t call for vanilla – just to add some flavor
• Bottle it up with a cute label and ribbon and hand it out for holiday gifts

Note: the dark rum may add a slight tint of color to any pure white recipes, like whipped cream, icing, etc. If you find yourself bothered by this, you can opt to use a clear rum instead. I personally prefer the flavor of the dark rum vanilla.

Enjoy!