The past couple of months I’ve found it hard to write a post without mentioning Paris. Truthfully I’m restraining myself because I could go on and on and I’m trying to space out my entries so as to not overwhelm. I compare myself to parents whom constantly show baby pictures. For being patient and understanding, I decided to give my friends a little token from my trip as a part of their holiday gifts. I made my own Tahitian vanilla extract with beans I brought home with me.

There is a gourmet foods shop that I love that is SO tiny and yet magically filled with food treasures. Dijon mustards, spices, tea and more I’m sure but I was too busy pouring over all the baking items. There were large sacks of Valhrona cocoa and chocolate discs perfect for melting, powders that I cannot pronounce for gastronomy people, flavorings and oils, dragees (yes even the silver ones banned from the US) and bulk packs of Tahitian and Madagascar vanilla beans. I decided to get Tahitian since it is not as common in the states.

The beans were so plump it was difficult to split them without everything oozing out. I was absolutely giddy looking at all the lovely flecks of vanilla.

Step 1) For the extract, I made the standard Nielsen-Massey size you’d find at the store. For each 4 oz bottle, you will need 1 to 2 vanilla beans. I put 1 1/2 beans per bottle.

A darker bottle is best to protect and preserve the vanilla longer. Mine are amber-colored.

Step 2) Fill each bottle with an unflavored vodka.

Step 3) I got a little fancy and wanted them to be like store-bought bottles so I bought protection seals. They are really easy to apply. Simply place it on top of a clean rim, carefully place the cap on and screw tight. If you remove the cap, the seal should be in place.

Step 4) Cap each bottle and you are done. The vanilla extract will be ready in 1-2 months.

To complete the look of a real bottle of extract, I made labels. I’m definitely on board with the kraft paper trend and liked how it would complement the amber glasses. If you want to be really thorough with functionality, you can use waterproof labels. That was my initial idea but I was set on my rustic, kraft aesthetic.

I designed the front to include where it was bottled to give the label an artisan feel. The back has a little blurb about where I sourced the beans and how the extract was made. The nice thing about this gift is, it is continually giving. Once the extract runs out you simply add more vodka, wait that 1-2 months and voila, more extract. I suppose it can only go a couple more times before the bean flavor has fully been extracted. At that point, I would dry the actual beans and put them in a bin with granulated sugar so it can absorb whats left.

The bottle date is helpful so the recipient knows when they can use the extract, especially if you make this now and it won’t be ready by Christmas.

For packaging, I’d pair it with a batch of cookies or another sweet treat that has vanilla flavoring. Or match it with measuring spoons and other baking tools. I am partial to the All Clad stainless measuring spoons which I own or this rectangular set from Williams-Sonoma.

After all this, I did ask myself if monetarily it made sense and I think it does simply because you can make more extract after the initial amount runs out. That, along with the fact that it is homemade which makes it personal and special.

DIY Sources:

• Bottles, lids and seals- Specialty Bottle or I used Sunburst Bottle
• Labels- part of the Martha Stewart Office with Avery line that you can buy at Staples
• Vanilla Beans- you can get beans from Beanilla