If you’re looking for a simple, heartfelt gift this holiday season, homemade vanilla extract is a beautiful choice. It couldn’t be any easier and is perfect for anyone who loves to bake.

What you’ll need:

• 1 ounce of vanilla beans. This winds up being around 6-8 whole vanilla beans if you don’t have a scale.
• 1 cup of vodka
• Glass bottle with a tight fitting lid

How to make it:

1. Slice the beans lengthwise to expose the seeds.
2. Add the beans to the bottle and cover completely with vodka.
3. Seal, shake, and store in a cool dark place.
4. Wait! This is the hard part. Vanilla needs at least 2-3 months to steep before use, but ideally you’d let it sit for 6-12 months for the best flavor.
5. Lastly, decorate with a label and ribbon and you’ll have a beautiful (and delicious) homemade gift.

Notes:

If you didn’t plan 6 months ahead for this gift (I never do), that’s okay. Simply label the bottle with a “ready by” date so the recipient knows when their homemade vanilla is ready to be put to use.

Once the vanilla has had time to infuse, you, or the person you gifted it to, can strain the vanilla extract to remove the beans and pulp if desired. Alternatively, you can leave the beans in the bottle and top the vanilla off with vodka after use to make more extract.

Enjoy!