 Hello everyone, welcome back to another video, today I will be sharing how to make your very own homemade vanilla extract from scratch right at home. You only need 2 ingredients to make this homemade vanilla extract, vanilla beans and vodka. The vanilla beans need to infuse with the alcohol for at least 6 months before using to achieve optimal flavour. Making vanilla extract yourself is so much more cost effective than store bought varieties and you can source all the ingredients plastic free making the process more eco friendly too. Before making my own vanilla extract, I had avoided buying it since moving out as the store bought versions came with a plastic seal and I had been living plastic free as much as I could up until then. So for any recipe that called for vanilla extract like muffins, cookies, brownies, smoothies, ice cream, anything really, I just left it out. I didn't realise making your own vanilla extract at home would be so simple, all you needed were some vanilla beans and a little vodka. I sourced the vanilla beans from my local bulk food store, the Sauce Bulk Foods, and bought some organic gluten free vodka from the local flunnery's Whole Foods store near me. Homemade vanilla extract wins by a landslide when compared with store bought versions. If you open a bottle of store bought vanilla extract and the bottle of homemade vanilla, you'll notice the difference straight away by how it smells. It's absolutely incredible and this aroma transfers to your cooking in quality of taste as well. When you bring your own vanilla extract, you allow time for the vanilla and vodka to infuse, which ultimately gives it the quality smell and taste. While it does take a while to meld, anyone who's ever made their own vanilla extract will say it's definitely worth the wait. Store bought varieties often lack the quality as they can be an imitation of vanilla extract, made with artificial or synthetic ingredients or brands may sometimes cut back on the amount of real vanilla in each bottle to save on cost, so essentially you're paying for weak bottled vanilla. If you find your vanilla extract still tastes a little too strongly of alcohol after the six months, try letting it sit for another month or two or however long it takes until it develops that strong vanilla extract taste. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavour. Another option is to add a few more vanilla beans to the mixture or to add some cane sugar to help bring out the sweetness. If you decide to add sugar, the ratio is for every two cups of vanilla extract, add up to one tablespoon of sugar and this will soften the harsh smell of alcohol and initiate the aging process. You'll know your vanilla extract is ready when the liquid has become a dark golden or brown, the darker the colour, the stronger the vanilla flavour. You should see lots of little flecks that have settled to the bottom of the jar, when you shake it the extract should look slightly opaque. And finally there should be a strong vanilla aroma to the extract. The alcohol needed to make this vanilla extract is an 80 proof alcohol like vodka, bourbon, gin, rum or brandy. Avoid flavoured alcohols as they often contain artificial flavours and ingredients which is not what you want when making your own pure vanilla extract. Vanilla beans are quite expensive, mine cost around $8 each Australian but 5-6 of them will make around 8 oz one cup of vanilla extract and you can reuse the beans. I found that using 5-6 vanilla beans per 8 oz of alcohol gives the best flavour and add a better price than double fold vanilla extract recipes. Ensure you store the infusing vanilla out of direct sunlight and give it a good shake at least once a week. The best part about making your own vanilla is that you can continuously add more alcohol to the bottle as you use it, it will continue to infuse over time. The full recipe can also be found on my website simply naturalnessa.com. To get started, slit the 5-6 vanilla beans you'll be using with a sharp knife so the insides are exposed. It's not necessary to completely split the bean in half, just a little slit down the middle is enough. If the vanilla beans are too long to fit into your bottle or jar, cut the vanilla beans into smaller pieces and place them in. Pour the 1 cup of vodka over the top so that the beans are fully submerged, you can use a little extra vodka if needed to make sure that the beans are fully covered. Then cap the bottle or jar and shake it a few times. Store the vanilla solution at room temperature and out of direct sunlight and shake the bottle at least once per week. Another extract takes around 6-12 months to fully infuse so it will take some patience but it's so worth the wait. Once ready, you can begin to use your vanilla. You can refill the bottle with a little vodka each time you use the extract, just give it a shake after you refill and shake it again before each use. If you don't have any more alcohol to refill the extract with, remove the beans from the jar after the first use. The reason for this is the beans become a little slimy if they aren't fully submerged. Once you begin using the vanilla extract and add more alcohol to the mixture after each use, the beans will eventually need to be replaced. It's very difficult to give a specific amount of time as some may need replacing more quickly than others. After about one year of frequent use and refilling, you may find the vanilla beans become less intense. When this happens, remove the old beans and add fresh ones, then shake and continue to use and refill as needed. Use the same amount of homemade vanilla extract as you would store bought extract in your recipes. I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial on how to make your own vanilla extract from scratch at home. Let me know if you try out the recipe and what you think of the vanilla extract. Thank you so much for watching, I hope to see you again soon. I'm sending you so so much love and I hope you take care. Bye.