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How to make homemade vanilla extract so you never have to buy it at the store again!

Seven years ago my friend Brooke gave me a jar of homemade vanilla extract. I haven’t bought any vanilla extract from a grocery store since then!

I discovered that homemade vanilla extract tastes so much better in recipes and is WAY cheaper than store-bought.

So here are the simple instructions for making your own. All you need are some glass jars, vanilla beans, cheap vodka and time. I regularly give this as a gift and it might be my most-requested gift!

Get some vanilla beans

In general, I’ve found that with enough time (at least a few months), you can easily get 8 ounces of extract from two beans, if not slightly more. So that works out to one bean for 4 oz. jars and four beans for a pint-sized Mason jar.

I recommend these 10 Extract Grade Vanilla Beans on Amazon. Forget buying vanilla extract by the ounce… this will be enough to make 5 CUPS of vanilla extract!

Get your hands on some cheap vodka

Some other sites will tell you that you should use high quality vodka or rum. But I have had the best luck with cheap vodka.

All it does is dissolve the oils in the vanilla and burns off when cooking, so don’t waste money on top shelf booze. I got a handle (1.75 liters) of “Aristocrat” vodka on sale for $12.95.

Slice the vanilla beans to expose more good stuff

You will get stronger extract faster if you expose the inside of the vanilla beans.

I sliced into but not through each bean lengthwise to expose the insides. I also cut each bean in half to they would fit into my smaller jars.

Into the jars go the beans and vodka

Now just add the vanilla beans and vodka to some glass jars, seal and wait.  It does help to shake the jars periodically.

I made a larger batch in this quart-sized Mason jar, but any size will do. Again, I recommend using about two vanilla beans per cup (8 ounces).

 I suggest waiting four to six months for a rich vanilla flavor.

Before you use or gift the extract you can filter out the vanilla residue with a coffee filter or cheese cloth, but you don’t have to to this. I like the flecks of vanilla in my cooking but others may not.

I purchased these brown 4 oz. glass bottles on Amazon into which I transferred two pieces of vanilla bean and then filled them up with the extract. They were the perfect size for gifting!

I have to share my absolute favorite recipe for using this delicious extract with. It’s the most popular recipe on my site and I know you will love it!

Yield: 4 Dozen

Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies Without Butter

Print

Easy Snickerdoodle cookies made with vegetable oil. Classic cinnamon sugar cookies without butter. Adapted from Recipes to a Young Poet No-Butter Snickerdoodles.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• For Sugar Coating:
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the oil, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. Add the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon on top, then mix everything together to form a thick dough. 

Form the dough into walnut-sized balls and roll each ball in the sugar coating.

Place cookies a few inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet, flattening them slightly if desired. 

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until slightly brown on the bottom. Do not overcook or they will be hard as rocks!

Have you ever made your own extract? Please leave a comment below and let me know how it went. 

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