You’ll need just two ingredients - vanilla beans and vodka. At least in my experience! Making Homemade Vanilla Extract It can be intense or subtle but has a strong presence that vanilla essence just can’t manage. Pure vanilla adds a full-bodied quality to any food it is used in. My son experienced this for the first time recently when he had gourmet vanilla ice cream after only having tried the standard convenience store kind. Having tried both multiple times, I can say without a doubt that there is a difference between the pure vanilla in your food and a synthetic copy. It is usually a chemically produced vanilla flavour, which mimics extract in form and function. Vanilla essence is a synthetic version, one you can find more easily and that tends to be cheaper. That is the vanilla all the baking recipes we see calls for. Vanilla then envelops the liquid it is in - the mixture soaks up it’s flavour. Vanilla extract is a pure mixture made from soaking real vanilla pods in alcohol. Homemade vanilla then became a necessity, unless I found really really good commercial versions. It was when I moved out and baked using store-bought vanilla for the first time that I actually tasted the difference between imitation versions. I had the advantage of food-loving parents who would make vanilla investments on my behalf. Vanilla tea cakes were amazing! This revelation came not only from more mature taste buds but getting to taste pure vanilla essence that my parents would keep stocked at home. A simple scone made using real vanilla could be a star. When I started getting older and baking on my own, I discovered the unimaginable - “plain” can be extraordinary. You get the gist, in my mind, more = better. Who would pick a plain, non exciting vanilla cake when there is black forest topped with cherries on the table? Why waste that special ice cream outing on vanilla when there is fudgy-brownie-chocolate as an option. With this recipe, you will see how easy it is to make on your own and experience the difference that pure vanilla can bring to your food.Īs a child, I never understood people who would choose vanilla flavoured anything when there was chocolate or fruity options. Unfortunately, it can be expensive and difficult to come by as a home baker. With just 2 ingredients, you can have a bottle of quality homemade vanilla extract to elevate all your baking! Vanilla extract is a magical ingredient that has the ability to enhance other ingredients and helps create a flavourful base.

Making homemade vanilla extract