Double-Strength Vanilla Extract

12 vanilla beans
1 bottle (750 ml) vodka

Pour off one ounce of vodka and reserve. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise to expose the seeds, and place the split beans in the bottle of vodka. If space allows, add back all or part of the reserved one ounce of vodka. (You may also just pour the entire bottle into a 1-qt glass jar with a tight-fitting lid if you prefer.)

Seal tightly and shake. Store in a cool, dark cupboard for at least 2 months to age. 4 – 6 months will be even better.

During aging, give the bottle a good shake once a week to agitate the vanilla seeds and release more essence.

Use as you would any commercial vanilla extract after aging. Give the bottle a shake each time you use some extract to suspend the seeds evenly. (If you are using the extract in a white preparation where you do not want the flecks of vanilla to be visible, do not shake the bottle and strain the vanilla extract through a coffee filter before use.)