Homemade French Vanilla Cappuccino Mix

Step 1

First, you need to dry your vanilla beans. You can do this two different ways. One way is to allow your vanilla beans to dry out over a few weeks by exposing them to air.

Step 2

The quicker way is to dry them out is in the oven on very low heat. First, preheat your oven to 100° - 200° F. (preferably 100°, but some ovens, like mine, only go down to 200°).

Step 3

Next, line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place your fresh vanilla beans on top.

Step 4

Once the oven is preheated, place in the oven. Your cooking time really depends on how fresh your vanilla beans are and how low the temperature of your oven is.

Step 5

If your vanilla beans are very moist and your oven is set 100°F, you will want to bake your vanilla for 1.5 - 2 hours. Alternatively, if your oven is set to 200°, you'll want to cook your vanilla for 1 - 1.5 hours.

Step 6

If your vanilla beans are already starting to dry out, you may want to check them after 30 - 45 minutes.

Step 7

You don't want to overcook them, but rather get them nice and dry. If your vanilla beans are still moist after baking, place them back in the oven for a little longer. I find it's always best to err on the side of caution and keep checking, rather than leaving them in too long and overcooking them.

Step 8

Once you think they're dry enough, bend a tip, and it should snap right off. The seeds inside will still be a little shiny, but they shouldn't be too moist.

Step 9

Once your vanilla is dried and cooled, place into your blender or food processor (a small smoothie blender works great for small batches like this), and blend for about a minute or until it becomes a fine powder.

Step 10

To make your French Vanilla Cappuccino Mix, throw all your ingredients into a blender (again, a small smoothie blender works great), and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can just mix the ingredients together with a spoon. However, I find that the cacao powder and coconut milk powder tend to get clumpy when it's not blended. It also helps to blend in the vanilla a little better with the other ingredients.

Step 11

Once all the ingredients are mixed or blended, store in an airtight container (preferably glass) for up to six months.

Step 12

To use your Homemade French Vanilla Cappuccino Mix, add two tablespoons to a 350ml (11oz) mug. To get it nice and smooth, I like to mix milk or hot water to make a paste. Next, stir in either hot water or warmed milk (I love using tigernut or oat milk) and mix well.