Wow, that's a lot of liquor!

When I came home with a pint and a half of Vodka and the same of Brandy, my family members were watching me suspiciously.  We don't have a lot of alcohol in the house.  Occasionally a bottle of wine - almost never anything stiffer.  So I'm pretty sure I was under close watch.

Before anyone could get too concerned, though, I mentioned that I was thinking about Christmas.  It was August.  But they're used to me being like that.  So I went on.  I had decided to make real vanilla extract, from the good stuff, as part of gift baskets this year.

Just google how to make real vanilla extract and you'll find one needs liquor.  Almost any cheap vodka will do, and I got brandy on the suggestion of one blogger.  One also needs vanilla beans, and since Amazon sells almost everything, maybe not a kidney yet, I checked there.  Yup.  Vacuum packed and shipped to our door - lovely, dark, shiny, fragrant, skinny vanilla beans.

Vanilla beans after extract had been poured off

Vodka base vanilla extract

These beans were split open and dropped into the vodka and the brandy.  One must pour off and do shots with ... wait, I mean, discard some of the excess liquor in order to fit the beans into the bottles.  I labeled the bottles as to the date that it all began, put them in a cabinet and tried to remember to shake them up daily.

Two months steeping is good, a little longer is even better.  I left them 9 weeks  then decided to pour the concoction through a strainer and check the results.  Oh, YUM!!  I've made cookies and two cheesecakes with the vodka steeped beans.  Superb.  The brandy steeped vanilla is richer, deeper in flavor.  Just different.  I might keep that for us - but I'll give some to our Baking Goddess neighbor for her thoughts on it.  If she gives it the go ahead then that vanilla will be in the gift baskets, too.

The beauty of this is not just the fun and the tension built by bringing home hard liquor. :)  It's that we are left with a LOT of vanilla and it didn't cost as much as the little bottles at the store.  My frugal mom never bought real vanilla extract - imitation was good enough for her and our family.  Well, I'll admit to disdaining that stuff, but as a good daughter, I really never enjoyed spending the cash for the real stuff, either.  So, tying this project to Christmas and being able to gift them, plus having some left for us, pleases me.

P.S.  The verdict is in from Baking Goddess next door:  she prefers the brandy-base vanilla!  So now I decide whether to include both in the gift baskets, or if just our favorite people get the best stuff. :)