Homemade Vanilla Extract

Anyone that knows me knows that I love love LOVE vanilla. I love using vanilla extract and vanilla beans in baking. I think it adds the most wonderful flavor to cookies, cakes, frostings, puddings, etc. It is a sin to bake with margarine just as it is a sin to bake with imitation vanilla. Not only does imitation vanilla have man-made chemicals in it, but it tastes chemically, too. Homemade extract tastes amazing and it's not too expensive to make yourself. It also makes for cute gifts for birthdays, Christmas, etc. I think homemade vanilla also looks awesome, too. There's just something domestic looking about a cute jar with vanilla beans.

So here's a little bit about vanilla beans. Vanilla beans come in grades. Grade B and C are usually ones that are stiff, cracked or split. Grade A beans have a high moisture content and are greater than 6 inches in length. Grade A (also known as gourmet beans) also have the best vanilla flavor because of the moisture content and natural oils. It was hard to find grade A beans for a decent price, but then I found this awesome company, Beanilla. They sell many varities of  gourmet vanilla beans. I have purchased from them several times and their customer service is impeccable. They are such a great company.

The variety that I use the most in baking is Madagascar beans because they have the most versatile flavor. They taste rich and creamy with a slight buttery undertone. Once you get more accustomed to using vanilla beans and making extracts, you can move into the other varieties like Indonesian, Mexican and Tahitian beans. I also use vodka in my extract because it doesn't add any additional flavors. You can also use rum or brandy or any other 35% + proof alcohol. Rum is also nice as an extract base as it adds a yummy warmth to certain recipes. If you don't want to make your own extract, Costco's Kirkland brand of pure vanilla extract is delicious and it's reasonably priced compared to grocery stores. Just promise that you'll stop using imitation vanilla if it's in your kitchen. :)

I also got the cute glass jars from Beanilla and also from The Container Store. I love making my extract into 4 oz. bottles because they are the perfect size for gifting. You can also make one large bottle of extract, just make sure you use a 5:1 (5 beans to 1 C liquid) bean-to-alcohol ratio for optimal flavor and strength.

Here's what you need:
-8 oz vodka (I used Skyy because it was on sale)
-5 Madagascar vanilla beans, whole
-(2) 4 oz. glass bottle with a cork

1. Take a sharp knife and cut your vanilla bean in half length-wise leaving about 1/2 inch intact at the top. You can slice it completely in the middle or just break through the top layer. Do NOT scrape out the beans.

2. Place 2 1/2 vanilla beans in each glass jar and cover with vodka.


Extract just after pouring
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Left: Extract just poured, Right: Extract after 1 hr.
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3. Store in a cool dark place for 6-8 weeks. The longer it sits, the more intense the flavor. About every 2 weeks give each bottle a gentle shake.



Steeped for over 12 weeks. Yum!
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 4. Once vanilla is done steeping, use it as you normally would use extract in baking.The longer it steeps, the richer the color and flavor. Once your bottle is near empty, refill again with vodka and steep again for at least 6-8 weeks.  You can do this several times. You get get lots of uses out of the vanilla beans.

Add a cute tag and some bakers' twine and you have a darling homemade gift!

Homemade vanilla gifts.
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Once you feel that the vanilla isn't as strong then replace the vanilla beans. You can take the old vanilla beans, dry them off and add to a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar.

Enjoy and Happy Baking!

Here's the printable recipe.

Salt Dough

Salt Dough Shapes
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So this isn't necessarily an edible recipe (although you could eat it, but it wouldn't taste good), but it's something fun from my childhood and definitely a fun activity to do with children. It's definitely domestic!

My mom use to make salt dough for us growing up. We would roll it out and cut it into shapes or form it into things. We would bake it and then paint to our heart's desire. It was one of my favorite things. I loved to make homemade ornaments, paint them and give the out as Christmas gifts.

I wanted to carry on this tradition for my children. My daughter loves when we make Salt Dough. This dough is so versatile. You can make a batch and use different colors of food coloring or you can leave it white. This last time we made it, we wanted to leave it white so that my daughter could paint it. If you don't want to bake and paint them, you can make different colors and play with it like Play Dough. Just make sure you leave it in an airtight container or plastic bag in between uses. I've noticed that when I leave dough in a plastic bag that it gets a little soggy. Just remove and add a little bit of flour and knead until dough goes back to regular consistency. This recipe also makes A LOT of dough. Depending on what we want to do with it, I usually make a half batch. If you want to make several different colors of dough, do a whole batch.

Last month, as a surprise for our anniversary, my parents helped my oldest make some ornaments. They rolled the dough out, cut them out into shapes and baked them. After baking and cooling, they let her color on them with markers and put a picture of each of my children on them and then sealed them with some Mod Podge with glitter. They gave them to us as an anniversary gift from our kids. They were such treasures. It will most definitely be a yearly tradition we do so that we have annual pictures of our family on our Christmas tree.


Here's what you need:

-1 C fine salt (I just use regular table salt)
-3 C white flour
-1 1/2 C water

1. Preheat oven to lowest temperature (170 degrees on my oven). Combine salt and flour into a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.

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2. Stir until mixture forms a ball. If you want colored dough add a few drops of food coloring at this point. Remove ball from bowl and knead for a couple minutes until ingredients (and coloring) are thoroughly incorporated.

Salt Dough
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3. Roll out dough to about 1/8 in. thick. Use cookie cutters, pizza or pastry cutter to make shapes. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. If you want to make ornaments, take a straw and poke a whole in the dough so that you can hang it. Once all your shapes are on the baking sheet, bake on the lowest temperature overnight or for 4-6 hrs. After 4 hrs, feel and see of the dough feels soft. If so, continue baking. Once they look more white and hard to the touch, remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

She loved rolling out the dough!
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Kids love this stuff!
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4. Once cooled, you can paint them, use markers, glitter, etc. to decorate them. If you want to put a picture on them, do that now. Seal the ornament with a thin coat of Mod Podge. Allow to dry completely. Use baking twine, yarn, hemp cord or whatever you have on-hand to use for hanging. You can also string several shapes together to make a cute banner to hang for the holidays. We also like making bugs, snakes, etc. to decorate. Just use your creativity and imagination.

Here's the printable recipe.

Enjoy and Happy Baking!

Peppermint Bark Cereal Treats

Peppermint Bark Cereal Treats
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I love this time of year because I can find so many yummy mint-with-chocolate treats. Seriously, mint and chocolate is such a yummy combination. And it always reminds me of the holidays. I am Dove Peppermint Bark chocolates. Peppermint Bark anything is so delicious.

This time of year is so busy and it seems like the holidays just creep up on me. We spent some time in Florida last week visiting some close friends and I was on the beach and realized that we hadn't done any neighbor or friend gifts! I wanted to do something quick, easy and festive. Here's a fun twist on traditional cereal treats. The very marshmallowy, minty, chocolately, and super festive. One batch does a cookie sheet sized pan, so you only need to do a batch or two and you'll have a bunch to go around.





Here's what you need:
-1 lb. of mini marshmallows (I love using the peppermint kind if you can find them)
-5 TBS of real butter (plus a little extra for buttering your pan)
-1/2 tsp. real vanilla extract
-1/8 teaspoon of peppermint oil (The oil is more potent, but I love the flavor.)
-9 C of rice cereal (Rice Krispies or any off-brand)
-a few drops of red food coloring (if not using peppermint marshmallows)

Peppermint Bark Drizzle
-1/2 C semi-sweet baking chips
-1/2 C white baking chips
-1/4 tsp. peppermint oil, divided
-3-4 crushed peppermint candy canes
-1-2 TBS of oil (can use vegetable, canola or coconut. I prefer coconut)


1. Butter a standard-sized cookie sheet and set it aside.

2. Place butter into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until completely melted.

3. Remove bowl from microwave and add vanilla, peppermint oil and food coloring. Stir to incorporate into butter. Stir in your marshmallows and coat with butter. Make sure you measure the peppermint oil. This is different than peppermint extract. The oil is STRONG and a little bit goes a long way. I like using the oil because it doesn't have any fillers and it has a true peppermint flavor. Unless you get a good brand of extract, sometimes it tastes more like mint toothpaste than true peppermint.

4. Microwave on high for about 1.5-2 minutes, stirring in 30 second intervals. Once marshmallows have melted, stir in rice cereal. Stir completely until cereal in completely covered in the marshmallow mixture.

5. Butter your hands and press cereal treats into an even layer on your buttered cookie sheet.

6. Use a chocolate melter if you have one (it's like a mini crock-pot that melts chocolate and keeps it at a constant temperature). I have 2 of them and they are my favorite to use. I love that it keeps the chocolate at a constant temperature and I don't have to worry about using a double boiler or running the risk of my chocolate seizing in the microwave. If you can invest in one, I highly recommend it. It also works great for dipping chocolates. If you don't have one, then you can melt the chocolate in the microwave in 15-30 second intervals. It takes about 3-4 minutes and you want to make sure that you stir often. Use 2 separate bowls and melt the white and dark chocolate. Once your chocolate is melted, add in 1/8 tsp. peppermint oil into each bowl and stir. Add in a tsp at a time of oil into each bowl until it reaches your desired consistency. I like the chocolate a little runny so that it drizzles easier.

7. Drizzle dark chocolate and then white chocolate over cereal treats. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes and then drizzle with remaining white and dark chocolate.

Chocolate Drizzles
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8. Let the chocolate set and then cut into squares.

Plated with Pretzel Turtles
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You can also arrange them in a bag and tie with ribbon for a quick gift.

Gift Idea
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Enjoy and Happy Baking.


Here's the printable recipe.

Pretzel Turtles

Pretzel Turtles
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Being domestic doesn't mean you have to spend all day in the kitchen! Here is a perfect idea for last minute gifts for neighbors, friends or co-workers. These whip together in a flash, they taste amazing and they look so cute too! I was introduced to these a couple years ago and I love making these when I need something quick and easy.

Here's what you need:
-1 bag of Rolo chocolate candies
-1 small bag of small pretzels
-1 C of pecan halves (one for each pretzel. Amount depends on how many you make)

Garnish:
-3 TBS white baking chips
-1/2 tsp of oil (can use vegetable, canola or coconut. I prefer coconut.)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Lay out pretzels on parchment paper. Unwrap your Rolo chocolates and place on top of each pretzel. (I had 53 Rolos in my bag, so this made 53 chocolates.)

3. Place cookie sheet in your oven and bake for about 2-3 minutes. Watch these because you want to take them out before the melt and fall over. Mine baked just over 2 minutes.

4. Remove tray from oven, place a pecan half on top of each Rolo and then push it down.

I love melty caramel and chocolate.
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 5. Melt chocolate in microwave in 15-30 second intervals. Once chocolate is melted, add oil and stir. This will help your chocolate be a little more runny so that it's easy to drizzle on top of each chocolate. You can also use a chocolate warmer if you have one.

6. While chocolates are still on parchment paper, take a spoon and lightly drizzle white chocolate over each turtle. Just do it randomly--just move the spoon back and forth quickly and the chocolate will fly all over the turtles.

White chocolate drizzle
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7. Allow the turtles to sit on parchment paper until chocolate is completely set.

Delicious.
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Remove and put on a decorative plate or in a decorative bag. Tie with some cute ribbon and you've got a super easy and cute gift.

Neighbor gifts.
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Here's the printable recipe.

Vanilla Beans & How to Make Vanilla Sugar

Madagascar Vanilla Beans
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I absolutely love vanilla. It is one baking ingredient that I could not live without. About a year and a half ago, I discovered vanilla beans. These little pods are so delicious and there are so many things you can make and use them in. Vanilla beans are not created equal. The first vanilla beans that I purchased were very expensive (were talking $10 for 2 pods), dry and brittle and had no aroma. I thought this was normal. Oh, not so! I just hadn't discovered what a good vanilla bean was. 

About a year ago I stumbled across a great website, Beanilla. This website and company is amazing! They have several varieties of gourmet vanilla beans, extracts and extract-making supplies. This is the best website I've found that offered high-quality products with reasonable prices. I loved browsing and learning about all the different types of vanilla beans. After reading about the different types of beans, I bought some Madagascar vanilla beans to try out. When they arrived in the mail, I could not believe my eyes! These vanilla beans were plump and when I took them out of the package, the aroma was intoxicating. The beans have a superior quality-- no splits or breaks and they have a high moisture content. The first time I baked with them, I split one open and it was chuck-full of vanilla caviar. Madagascar vanilla beans have a very full, smooth and rich flavor, which complements many baking dishes. You can store vanilla beans for up to a year, so go buy some and experiment with them in your baking. I will also be posting more recipes on how to use them, so stay tuned. Do you want to win some of this yummy vanilla beans? Just enter my giveaway for them here.

Vanilla Bean Sugar
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One of my new favorite baking ingredients to have on hand is vanilla sugar. It smells amazing and it's something fun to use to add a gourmet twist to your baking dishes. You can use vanilla sugar in place of regular sugar in any baking recipe. You can also use it in tea, homemade hot chocolate and as a garnish. I also use it in homemade puddings, on top of pies, etc.

I made a big batch of vanilla sugar and put it in cute little jars for Christmas gifts. Just add a cute little label and you have a super cute, gourmet gift for friends and family. And who doesn't love getting personally homemade things for Christmas? I found these cute jars from The Container Store. They worked perfect! I love the 7.75oz jars for gift-giving and the 16-oz or 25oz jar for storing my vanilla sugar.

Here's what you need: (You can make a larger batch, just make sure you use at least a 1:1 ratio of vanilla beans to sugar. You can use more beans, you will just have a stronger vanilla flavor.)
-2 Madagascar beans, whole
-2 C. organic cane sugar (you can use regular sugar, but I like the flavor of cane sugar better)
-Food processor or heavy-duty blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec
-Airtight glass jar or container

When you get your vanilla beans, let them dry out for a day or two so that they don't have as much moisture content.

Place your vanilla beans in a blender or food processor with 1 cup of sugar. Blend until the vanilla bean is completely mixed. If you are using a Vitamix or Blendtec, make sure you don't use the highest setting for longer than 5-10 seconds at a time or you will end up with powdered sugar. After you blend, you may still have a few pencil-tip sized pieces throughout your mixture. If it bothers you just blend a little longer.

Transfer your sugar mixture into a bowl. Add the remaining cup of sugar. Stir together.


Stir and transfer to an airtight glass container of your choice. Use in any baking recipe, in tea or hot chocolate or as a garnish on pies, cakes, fruit, etc. Whenever you have any leftover vanilla bean pods, just throw them into your vanilla sugar and it will add more aroma. Enjoy and happy baking!

Gift-giving idea
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Printable recipe:

Vanilla Sugar

2 Madagascar vanilla beans, whole (Allow to dry out for a few days)
2 C organic cane sugar
airtight glass container

Place whole vanilla beans in food processor or blender with 1 cup of sugar. Blend until vanilla beans are completely blended and incorporated into sugar. Remove from blender or food processor and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Add last cup of sugar and stir to combine. Transfer to an airtight glass container.