Step 1

Split vanilla beans lengthwise with a knife, leaving the seed pulp inside, and then chop into smaller pieces. (I like to leave one or two of the beans split down the middle for presentation, and then chop the rest.)

Step 2

Place vanilla beans in a glass jar, cover completely with alcohol of your choice, and cap tightly.

Step 3

Agitate the mixture by shaking the jar daily for 2-6 weeks.

Step 4

You can allow the vanilla beans to infuse longer, or add more vanilla beans to make a stronger extract.

Step 5

Once the flavor of your extract has reached the desired strength, strain the vanilla beans out and bottle the resulting extract.

Step 6

To make the bottles even more alluring, you can insert a whole vanilla bean into each bottle.

Step 7

Vanilla extract will last indefinitely, and will become even more aromatic and flavorful as it ages.

Step 8

Homemade vanilla extract can be used just the same as vanilla extract from the store.