Vanilla extract is expensive.  It seems like every month that I look at the prices, they just keep going up and up.  But, I reckoned that it’s nothing more than vanilla beans and alcohol.  So, I started doing research to see just how to go about making my own.

Come to find out: it’s just vanilla beans and alcohol.

If you do an internet search on “making homemade vanilla extract” all of the instructions that I found the typical alcohol ingredient is vodka, and people claim that it doesn’t matter if you get the cheap stuff.

From what I understand, the higher the alcohol content, the better and more pure the end product.  So, on further research, I discovered that vodka, especially the cheap stuff, is about 80-90 proof, which makes it about 40%-45% alcohol.  Expensive vodka is about 100 proof, which is about 50% alcohol.

Everclear, on the other hand, is 190 proof, which makes it about 95% alcohol.  (The bottle had numerous warnings about it being extremely flammable.)  Therefore, the end result would be almost entirely alcohol and vanilla, with less than 5% being something else.

SO, to make really good, high quality homemade vanilla, follow these instructions…

First of all, if someone from church catches you purchasing 2 liters of 190 proof pure alcohol and asks, “What are you doing here?”  Turn, smile, and ask, “What are YOU doing here?”

Then…

For every 1 cup of alcohol, you need 3 whole vanilla beans.  I bought mine from here.  This was the most economical bulk vanilla bean we could find.

Snip the ends of the beans.

Cut them in half lengthwise.

Put them in a clean, glass container that can be sealed.  I used Mason jars.

Cover them with alcohol.

Seal the jar with a tight lid.

Store in a cool, dark place for 2 months.  Give it a good shake occasionally.

Let me break down the savings for you:

A 2-ounce bottle of McCormick pure vanilla extract at Kroger is $8.99.

There are 32 ounces in a quart.

So, a quart at regular supermarket prices would cost me $144.

I bought half a pound of beans at $29.  That half pound will make 6 quarts of extract.  So, if I break it down to quarts, I paid $5 for the beans and $13.99 for the alcohol.

That’s $19 total that I paid to make a quart of vanilla extract.

Total cost savings: $125.

I’m making 6 quarts with my half-pound of beans.  I intend to buy fancy bottles and give them away next Christmas.  (If you’re on my Christmas list and reading this, cover your ears and say, “La-la-la.”)

My total savings for all 6 quarts is $750.

Hallee

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