Why do this? YOUR vanilla extract is made from vanilla beans. Quality control - you haves it. That crap at *most* grocery stores utilizes imitation flavors and chemicals. Funky-doo-doo. Not for you!

Split your vanilla beans lengthwise. You can find a great selection of premium grade vanilla beans on Amazon.

I am also cutting my beans in half due to the size (height) of my container - which you'll see in a hot sec.

Vanilla bean flavor info: Madagascar Vanilla Beans = silky smooth, rich, and creamy. Mexican vanilla beans = smokey and intense. Monster wants beef sticks. She's so disappointed in me.

Vodka. One for me. 3 for vanilla. Please for the love of Uranus, DO NOT use a flavored vodka. It defeats our purpose and intent of avoiding chemical additives. Plus, it would probably taste like hell.

GF vodka: Blue Ice (blue bottle), Cayman Blue, Chopin (black cap), Ciroc, Glacier, Smirnoff, and Tito's. In my 'pinion, don't waste $ on expensive vodka for extract - unless you are also drinking it.

*I was asked if it was possible to make this without alcohol and it is. Just use pure vegetable glycerine instead of the liquor. http://www.iherb.com/p/962 Go for it, but send me your vodka. 😉

You can also use bourbon in place of vodka. Bourbon and vanilla together are like having the Trans Siberian Orchestra in your mouth. You think you know about them, but then you experience them. Boom.

Put your alcohol of choice and vanilla beans in a glass bottle. I use Apothecary bottles - aka little ass medicine bottles. Amazon. Duh.

Great things are worth the wait. I got Monster at 8 weeks (pic), and you'll get your amazeballs vanilla extract in 8 weeks. Put it in your spice cabinet and fuggeddabouddit. Set an alarm. I'm excited.

I know my dog is irrelevant to my guides, but darn it, it's fun to incorporate her. Maybe I'll have a surprise guest in my next guide so you won't think I'm obsessed with my dog. Now, about Amazon...

How to make "better than store bought" vanilla extract!

Honest to goodness easiness. Why would you NOT do this? Plus, you impress people when you give it as a gift. They'll be like, "shut the front door, nuh-uh?" And you'll be like, "uh-huh." Like a boss.