If you’ve been thinking about making vanilla extract for Christmas gifts… NOW IS THE TIME if you want to do it traditionally. Seriously! The traditional method takes 6 months truly bring out the best flavor. But the traditional method is so easy and requires no special equipment! But what happens when you don’t have 6 months to wait for the vanilla to traditionally extract? That is where the second half of this adventure comes in! We are going to try this in the pressure cooker! And apparently, it’s ready to be used as soon as it cools! I’m ready to show you both methods and give my review on the pressure cooker one!
Glass bottle with tight fitting lid or canning jar
Shelf directions (Ratio: 5 beans per 1 cup of alcohol):
Split the vanilla beans down the center lengthwise and place them into your glass jar. If you have long beans, you may have to cut the beans in half to fit into the jar so the beans are completely submerged in the alcohol so they don’t spoil.
Fill the jar with the desired amount of alcohol and secure the lid tightly.
Shake gently and set inside a cupboard outside of direct sunlight.
Your vanilla will be ready to use in 3 months, however the preferred time is 6 months to get a better flavor. Steep 12 months for an even stronger flavor.
You can reuse your vanilla beans for one more batch before throwing away.
Pressure Cooker directions (Ratio: 2-3 beans per 1 cup of alcohol):
Prepare the pressure cooker by putting in the steaming rack and filling the bottom with water.
Split the vanilla beans down the center lengthwise and place them into a canning jar that fits into your pressure cooker. If you have long beans, you may have to cut the beans in half to fit into the jar so the beans are completely submerged in the alcohol.
Fill the jar with alcohol and secure the lid tightly.
Shake gently and set on the wire rack inside the pressure cooker.
Seal your cooker and set at high pressure for 35 minutes.
Allow your pot to naturally pressure release completely and for your pressure cooker to be COOL before you open.
Unlike the first method, you can not reuse your beans. Discard beans.
To cook off your flour, spread your 1 cup of flour onto a baking tray and bake at 350°F for 7 minutes or until the flour reaches 160°F.
Cream together butter, sugars, and salt. In turn, add in all the flour, the milk and the vanilla. If your mix is too dry, add a tiny bit more milk until it’s cookie consistency. Mix in your chocolate chips.
posted by Linda on August 31, 2022
Where did you get the bottles? Amazon? I may have to try this.
posted by AEC Heather on August 31, 2022
Ikea! 🙂