Homemade Vanilla Extract

Homemade Vanilla Extract - One to two beans pre 4 oz. bottle.  This extract has been steeping for 1 week

Entering Costco last week, a glittering snowman surrounded by strings of blinking Christmas lights greeted my empty cart.  With our September San Diego temps and humidity boarding on my beloved tropic level, I have to admit that the snowman gave me no pleasure whatsoever, and even had me thinking of boycotting the looming holidays altogether.

With visions of shopping, wrapping, organizing and decorating filling my head, a shudder ran through my body, and I moved on to the safer grounds like the produce section - thankfully still bearing tree-ripened peaches and pallets of summer watermelons.  Avoiding the objectionable showman on my way out of the store, all holiday thoughts were pushed far from my mind.

Or were they...?  Reflecting on the amount of shopping I will need to do, I felt that little tightening in my stomach of, "What am I going to do?".  With so many little gifts needed throughout the season, I usually try to put together something homemade, something that I hope the teachers, neighbors, hostesses, etc will appreciate.  We've done tins of candy, nuts and/or cookies and breads.  Liv has given gifts of homemade jams and hot chocolate mixes, and we've made greeting cards and calendars from photos we've taken throughout the year.

But so far this year, I had nothing.  No ideas at all.  That's about the point that I reached into my pantry for vanilla extract for Liv and her brother's pancakes, only to find my bottle empty.  And there I had it, Homemade Vanilla Extract...

4 oz. jars, 1-2 beans per jar, filled with Vodka

Internet searches turned up very similar "recipes", or procedures.  A bottle, a vanilla bean and some sort of alcohol.  However, that's where some of the variances came in.

How long should the vanilla bean steep in the alcohol to be proclaimed "done"?  With recommendations ranging from 3 weeks to a minimum of 6 months, I already feel behind the power curve.  And what sort of alcohol should we use?  While most versions used vodka, some used bourbon or even rum.

And where would I find bottles at a reasonable price that still remained attractive enough for gift giving?  And last but not least, with vanilla beans in the local markets costing upwards of $5 per bean, how could I do this project and still keep my costs in check?

For the moment, the recipe will remain a work in progress, the beans and bottles were both found online, though, and at reasonable prices.  A tip for Beanilla Trading Company had both bourbon and my precious Tahitian vanilla beans in the mail for about $18 per 25 beans.  Shipping was not outrageous, and it was fast.  (Edited 10/21: I've since found plump Organic Vanilla Beans on Amazon! )

Vanilla Extract - 3 hours.

More internet researching brought me to these round bottles, that make the cutest gifts (here's where I'll admit to having a bit of a bottle/jar obsession...).  Comparison shopping for alternate ideas, I found these fun swing top bottles that I just ordered.

The rest was easy... with a full bottle of vodka in the cabinet, vodka became my alcohol of choice, though we may give a try to bourbon with a few of the leftover beans.

Slicing each bean down the center, I opened the bean (but did not scrape the seeds), allowing the alcohol to flow over the seeds as it steeps.  Placing the whole bean (or two) into the bottle, we filled the bottles with vodka, and sealed.

Setting up the bean and vodka filled bottles for an impromptu photo shoot, I loved the look of the beans in the clear liquid, but after snapping a quick shot or two, carpool duties took over.  Returning my focus to the bottles several hours later, Liv and I commented how the liquid had already begun pulling the vanilla ever so slightly from the beans giving a soft, light amber glow to the bottles (see instagram shot above - find us at: kimlivlife).

Tahitian Vanilla Extract - 1 week

Now, a week into our vanilla extract project, the liquid has taken on a lovely golden hue, and has a somewhat modest vanilla aroma.  With one week under our belt, I'm thinking that longer is better for the steeping process, but we will continue checking weekly to record the progress.

As such... if you are contemplating making vanilla extract for your 2012 holiday presents, I suggest getting going now, allowing a few months for optimum results.

So far I'm thrilled with the progress of our holiday experiment, and I'm eager to research sealing the bottles with wax and finishing with pretty ribbons or embellishments.  While I'm definitely not feeling "holidayish", visions of holiday gifts are beginning to fill my head.

To be continued... 
(Click here to see the finished product along with instructions on bottle sealing and labeling!)

Last Minute Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas

Are you ready for Christmas??

 

Even though I make my list and check it more than twice I still seem to find myself occasionally in a pinch and needing a quick something to bring to a as a hostess gift or neighbor present.  With the malls busier than I-5 on a holiday Friday weekend afternoon, I find it easier to turn to my pantry, which is usually fairly well stocked, to toss together a tasty homemade treat.

Over the years our gift bags and hostess gifts have been packed with pancake mixes, hot chocolate mixes, spiced granolas and of course candy and cookies in seasonal tins.  While packaging might cost you a trip to the store, you might be surprised that you happen to have an appropriate jar on hand that could work.  Throughout the year I save a couple spice jars, marinara sauce jars, and other assorted glass jars that might come in handy and when looking for packaging, many times I find one on hand that does the trick.

The spice jars work nicely for Hot Chocolate Mix.  Liv put together a jar layered with cocoa, sugar, grated chocolate and crushed candy cane, tied it with a pretty ribbon and attached the recipe card as a perfect little treat for school or dance friends.  Add a cute holiday mug and a little bag of marshmallows and you have a quick hostess gift that will bring smiles to friends of all ages (for adults add a little airline sized bottle of rum or kahlua!) .

Homemade granola also works wonders and delivers a tasty and healthy treat to start the New Year right.  Canning jars with gaskets and latches serve as pretty as well as airtight vehicles for an aromatic spiced granola, however if you don't have one on hand the handy zip lock bag works just as well.  Again, tied with a simple ribbon and a printed recipe card, your hostess with be thanking you each morning as she scoops a few spoonfuls over her yogurt for breakfast.

Pumpkin Granola

 

Coconut Mango Granola

Similar canning jars or used jam jars can also be used for homemade pancake mix.  Take your favorite pancake recipe, layer the dry ingredients and print a recipe card with the remaining ingredients and directions and you're set.

Place the jarred mix in a gift bag with a jug of maple syrup or honey, or wrap in a holiday dish towel to round out the gift.  Again, no jar on hand?  Zip lock bags for the mix work just fine.  Give the kids a sharpie to draw a Christmas tree or snowman on the bag and now you have art as well as pancakes...

Buttermilk Pancakes with Flax

Liv's Favorite Whole Grain Buttermilk Pancakes with Oatmeal and Banana

And of course, homemade candy and treats are always fun to make as well as fun to receive.  How about a tin of Homemade Macadamia Brittle, Chocolate Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies, or one of my favorites - Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze?  Any of these treats work as wonderful hostess gifts or small remembrances for neighbors that you can pull out of your pantry without heading to the frantic holiday chaos of the store.

Mauna Loa Macadamia Brittle

Chocolate-Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies

Orange Butter Cookies with Grand Marnier Glaze