Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
This sous vide vanilla extract is just what you need to kick start your holiday baking! Make it with vodka OR bourbon, depending on your preference!
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 34kcal
Ingredients
- 4 vanilla bean pods totaling ~4 oz; see notes
- 4 cups plain vodka OR bourbon
Instructions
- Split the vanilla beans down the center. Add them to a quart Mason jar.
- Add the plain vodka or bourbon to the Mason jar. Tighten the lid to finger tight.
- Set your sous vide for 135 degrees F.
- Once the water had preheated, add the Mason jar to the water and cook for at least 4 hours (see notes).
- Allow the vanilla extract to cool to room temperature.
Notes
- Use a mid-range liquor. Think Smirnoff, not Grey Goose.
- Use at least one vanilla bean for every cup of liquor
- Let your extract cook for at least 4 hours. I ended up letting mine go for about 6 to achieve the color that you see in the photos.
- You can either remove the vanilla beans from the Mason jar or leave them in; it's up to you!
- I've had some readers say that they didn't have luck when making this in smaller batches; specifically, a reader indicated that when making it with 1 vanilla bean and 1 cup of vodka, the extract didn't turn a nice brown color. Though I had the results that you see in the photos with 4 beans and 4 cups of vodka, you may want to use more than 1 vanilla bean if you're just making 1 cup of extract.
- Related to the point above, vanilla beans vary in size. Ideally, you want to use about 1 oz of vanilla bean(s) for every 1 cup of liquor. So, if your beans are smaller than 1 oz, you should consider using more per 1 cup of liquor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 34kcal