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REAL VANILLA

Source of Recipe

Unknown


Recipe Introduction

Make your own Vanilla Flavoring. It lasts a long long time and great for gift giving. The receiver will truly appreciate this gift. I purchase little plastic bottles with cork screw tops from Hobby Lobby. I pour the vanilla in the little bottles and put my own lable on it for gift giving. You'll never go back to Imitation Vanilla Extract!

List of Ingredients

8 Madagascar Vanilla Beans (15 to a package)
1 large bottle Smirnoff Triple Distilled Vodka No. 21
(you could also use Rum)

You could use all 15 beans in one bottle for a stronger vanilla. When vanilla is gone, take beans out and put them in a new bottle. The beans should still make a good vanilla.


Recipe

Slice vanilla beans open and scrap the inside with a knife and put the scrappings in the bottle and the split open beans. Put cap back on bottle and put bottle in a cool dark place (make sure kids can't get it). In 6 to 8 weeks the vanilla should start to change color. You will see that the color is turning darker now. I give it a shake every now and then when I remember. Vanilla is ready in about 3 months.

This is where I got the beans from.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysvanillabeans.html

(Don't buy dried shriveled up beans from the grocery store - it's a waste of money because it will not make good vanilla.) Beans should be soft and pliable straight or with a little curve to them.