This is redonkulously easy.
You know those bottles of vanilla extract in the store? Watkins and such? They’re usually loaded with fake colors, stabilizers and even sugar or syrups. Yeah. Cuz ya need that shit to get vanilla-y goodness in yer cupcakes.
Imma help ya out.
All you need is some vanilla beans and some alcohol. I use vodka, but you could use whiskey or rum or even brandy.
Tequila would be weird.
Gin. Ewwwwww.
So, pick out a 750 bottle and buy a few (or 5) vanilla beans. You can find em at some of the more awesome grocery stores, or even buy em online! Slit the beans down the middle, cutting em in half the long way. Be careful here, don’t cut yourself! Then take the pointy part of that knife and scrape the insides of the beans a little bit, so the alcohol can soak in there and get all the flavor.
Drop those beans in the bottle. If you’re worried about them fitting, you can always take a pull from the bottle first. Natch.
Let it soak. Swirl it around every day. The longer it sits, the more vanilla-y it gets. After a month or so, the vanilla flavor should be strong enough to use.
The best part? It lasts for.ev.er. You can just keep topping the bottle off with more booze. I occasionally add leftover beans from my cordial making (more on that in the future).
But seriously, look how old this bottle is.
It’s delicious. It’s simple. And it doesn’t have a bunch of fake crap in it.
Score!
