Growing up, my Mom was known for her baking. Every school event, birthday party, and sport outing would include homemade baked goods from her. She would always brush it off when people would swoon over how good they were – but she had a secret ingredient: Homemade vanilla bean flavoring.
The recipe is easy:
- 1 750 mL bottle bourbon (mom always used Wild Turkey – so I am partial to it)
- 3 whole vanilla beans (I got some off of Amazon, but this is definitely something you should splurge on if you can find them at your local specialty grocery store. If you have extra, they freeze well).
- Start by slicing the vanilla beans in half lengthwise
2. Scrape the seeds out of the pod
3. Place all the contents of the vanilla bean (the seeds and the husk) into the bourbon bottle.
4. Let bottle sit for ~3 months prior to using
That’s it! After 3 months of “marinating”, you will have the perfect vanilla bean flavoring which will give all your baked goods that extra special flavoring.
Creatively Catie 