DIY: Vanilla Extract

I made vanilla bean sugar and vanilla extract the other day! I posted about the vanilla sugar here.

Figured I'd post about this now so you can start working on them if you want to

give these out as holiday gifts.

I used these Madagascar vanilla beans for both projects:

 The bean flecks up close (like caviar, I tell you!):

 Day 1 for the extract (before it started to change color):

 Day 2 of the extract (I'll take pictures by the week from now on and will update this post as I do so):

 

After 1 week:


 All it is is vanilla beans + vodka. I used Seagram's 'cause it had a middle-ish price (I figured you don't need the FANCY fancy vodka for vanilla extract):

 I think I like bottles better than actual drinks.

 

VANILLA EXTRACT RECIPE (found here at Bake at 350):

Whole vanilla beans

Vodka

Ratio = 1 vanilla bean per 1/3 cup of vodka

(1) Split the vanilla beans, leaving one end intact. (I cut mine in half to fit them.)
(2) Place in airtight bottles (if you use clear ones like mine, store them in a dark place)
(3) Top with vodka
(4) Store in a cool, dark place for at least six weeks before using. The longer it sits, the darker the extract will become.

DIY: Vanilla Bean Sugar

I finally made something with whole vanilla beans! Scroll down for pictures! I also made vanilla extract, which you can read about here.
Vanilla sugar uses: Coffee, cookies, cupcakes, etc. I have yet to try it on different things, but I imagine you could eat it with anything you want. Maybe on buttered toast? Have you tried regular sugar on buttered toast? Yeah.
Found the idea and recipe here at Cookin' Cowgirl. I'd been thinking of something homemade to make for Christmas gifts, so I got really excited when I found this. I went crazy and spent an hour or so looking for other ideas and ordering vanilla beans. Those things ain't cheap, but they're so awesome. Here's the really simple vanilla bean sugar recipe:

Homemade Vanilla Bean Sugar

12 oz mason jar

1 1/2 cup sugar (or brown sugar, powdered/confectioners sugar)

2 vanilla beans (I used Madagascar)

(1) Pour sugar in a large bowl
(2) Cut 2 vanilla beans length-wise with a sharp knife & gently scrape knife across bean to get vanilla flecks off (See pics below!)
(3) Add vanilla to bowl of sugar & mix (and squish those gobs so the little flecks spread out).
(4) Put the 2vanilla beans in the jar
(5) Pour vanilla sugar over the beans & seal tightly
(6)  Let vanilla sugar sit for 2 weeks before using to get the maximum flavor
(7) Take 1/2 a cup of either the vanilla brown sugar, powdered sugar, sweetener or regular sugar and pour it into one of the small jars (if repackaging). You can transfer a vanilla bean over to the small jar if you prefer. You can decorate the jar with ribbon or twine & attach a gift tag.

 2 whole vanilla beans:

 I ordered 16 off of Amazon:

 The flecks up close (it kinda looks like caviar):

The empty bean pods:

 The sugar before mixing:

 

DIY Cake Pops for Baby Shower Guests!

6/5/10

Aren't these the cutest little decorations?? This is the first baby shower I've attended as an invited guest (me going with my mom as a little girl to my aunt's doesn't count).

Cucumber sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches (on good brioche, btw), chocolate muffins, cupcakes of some kind, another kind of muffin (I didn't eat it), a fruit salad, and then cake pops later.


Learned about cake pops from Bakerella, of course. I was going to make them myself, but my co-workers/friends suggested that we have the guests make 'em themselves. Good idea, but honestly I'd make them myself next time because these cake pops are hard to deal with when they get warmer out of the refrigerator and start falling apart. It was neat to have the guests add their own decorations of preference though! Basically, here's what you do:

(1) Bake a cake mix cake & let it cool
(2) Mix cooled cake with a little tub of frosting
(3) Form little one-inch balls
(4) Dip sticks in melted candy melts or whatever you want to use so the sticks have something to stick to when they're inserted into the cake balls.
(5) Stick sticks into cake balls.
(6) Once balls are attached to the sticks, refrigerate them so that they're stiff
(7) Dip the balls into your melted candy melts (or chocolate or whatever you want) and decorate with sprinkles or whatever you want.

I'm sure these would taste better when made with homemade cake & frosting, although I still loooove Funfetti cake and frosting. You can also make brownie pops, which can taste AWESOME when done right.

Where do you get the cake pop supplies? Joann Fabric & Craft Stores, Michael's, etc. Pretty much any artsy craftsy stores. You can get sprinkles at grocery stores, Target, etc. I got my candy melts and lollipop sticks at Joann and my cake mix and frosting at Vons. Next time I'll try these either with brownies or with homemade cake and homemade frosting.