Thanks For The Food

A Norwegian Food Blog

  • About
  • Recipes
  • Expat Resources
  • Buy The Cookbook
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Baking / How To: Vanilla Extract Recipe

How To: Vanilla Extract Recipe

October 26, 2012 By Whitney Love 2 Comments

vanilla extract recipe
 
I love the flavor of vanilla. I love it in sweet things like cupcakes, mousse, frosting, cakes and ice cream. I also love it in savory things such as dry rubs for pork chops, ham or grilled chicken.
 
In the U.S., we tend to use vanilla extract instead of vanilla bean pods in most dishes. Why? Hummm…I am not sure really but I suspect it has something to do with storage or transportation seeing as vanilla bean pods are the second most expensive spice to produce behind saffron (and we all know how expensive saffron can be!). In Europe, vanilla beans pods are commonly found in most grocery stores and are usually quite pricey.
 
Finding vanilla extract in Norway is nearly impossible and when one does find vanilla extract, it tends to be extremely, extremely expensive. I say boo (!!!) to over-priced, hard to find vanilla extract and instead make my own.
 
Vanilla Extract
Ingredients
250 ml vodka (use the mid-range stuff, cheap vodka is just a bad idea in general)
3 vanilla bean pods cut in half
1 glass jar or bottle (with a lid)
————————————————————————————–
1 cup vodka (use the mid-range stuff, cheap vodka is just a bad idea in general)
3 vanilla bean pods cut in half
1 glass jar or bottle (with a lid)
 
Directions
1 Place the cut vanilla bean pods into the glass jar/bottle. 
 
2 Pour the vodka over the bean pods and screw the lid onto the jar/bottle. Give the jar a good shake, then place in a cool dark area (like the back of the kitchen cabinet) for 1 month.
 
3 When one month has passed, check the liquid in the jar for taste and color. You want the liquid to become a deep brown color. If the liquid isn’t brown enough yet, let it sit for another 2-4 weeks before using. It will darken and take on more of the flavour of the vanilla beans over time.
 
4 Use in cupcakes, ice cream and other sweet dishes or in pork or chicken recipes.
 
vanilla extract recipe




This post is for non-commercial, personal use only. Copyright ©2012 by Whitney @ Thanks For The Food.

                                                     
Be sure to check out my Useful Links Page and More Useful Links Page or read more about me on the About Page. You can also find TFTF on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and You Tube.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Filed Under: Baking, Basic, Budget, Desserts, Recipe Tagged With: vanilla, vodka

« How To: Brown Sugar Recipe
TFTF Has Been Featured on InterNations! »

Comments

  1. Whitney from Thanks For The Food, A Food Blog says

    October 26, 2012 at 9:33 PM

    That’s another way to do it. 🙂 Thanks for the tip.

    Reply
  2. David T. Macknet says

    October 26, 2012 at 8:35 PM

    You know what? Doing it that way, yeah, it works … but it also works to do it with “spent” pods – the ones you’ve scraped the guts out of. We just take a bottle of vodka & set it aside, and every time we scrape a pod for some baked good or other, we pop the scraped pod into the bottle. Eventually (maybe 8 or 9 pods later) you’ve got vanilla extract, and didn’t have to use whole pods!

    Reply

Got a comment? Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Hei! I’m Whitney, an American living in Norway. Finding ways to cook real food, every day, and without going broke is a challenge here in Norway – a challenge that I enjoy taking on at every meal. Read More…

Search This Site

Subscribe for News, Freebies and Updates!

On Amazon

Thanks For The Food, the Cookbook

New to Norwegian Cuisine? Start here!

The Ultimate Guide to Norwegian Cuisine

Search by Category

Food Blogger Pro: Video training and blogger community helping you to start your food blog.

Popular Posts

Norwegian Food Main Dish Recipes Budget Recipes Dessert Recipes Travel Posts
iHerb

Disclaimer

This blog currently has affiliate relationships with various online retailers, which give me a percentage of sales if you buy a product through the link posted on my blog. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly the company's web site and search for item itself.

Get Social

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Search

Categories

Copyright © 2009-2014 • All Rights Reserved • Thanks for the Food • Legal• Google
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies but you may opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy