DIY :: Homemade Vanilla Extract

As we step gently into the darker side of the year, I have been finding deep comfort in preparing our little den for hibernation. In frosted kitchen windows and folded flannels and pots simmering contentedly on the stove. Bell jars pinging on the counter. Dough rising and dishes stacked neatly in the cupboard. The quiet productivity that settles in as winter descends.

There is something deeply soothing about working gently with my hands and turning inward this time of year. One of my favorite autumn rituals is infusing a big batch of this simple homemade vanilla extract and dreaming of all the sweet things it will soon become. Cherry Almond Biscotti with hot coffee on a snowy evening. Homemade Maple Pecan Granola with our little family piled around the kitchen table. Grandma’s famous Christmas Tea Ring with cinnamon and maraschinos.

Extracts take time to infuse. Like all things, they need space to rest and integrate. So this is a lovely project to start now and have ready just in time for winter baking and gifting. It only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time, and then a little darkness and a little patience. There are few things more magical than reaching for this sweet little amber bottle in the back of the cupboard when the time comes. Truly.

To say it’s been a strange year is a massive understatement. But when nothing seems certain, and every day brings new terrain to navigate, taking time to quietly prepare for the colder days ahead can be oddly comforting.

 Sending you warmth and love and peace of mind, dear friends.

Supplies:

• Small amber jars (any size will do. I used 5oz.)

• Organic vanilla beans (about 2 - 3 beans per small jar)

• Bourbon - at least 80 proof (vodka also works well, but I prefer the sweet notes of bourbon)

• Optional: Sealing wax and wax seal for packaging

Step 1:

Begin by washing and sterilizing your jars and caps. You can do this with boiling water, or in a high temp dishwasher. After the jars are sterilized, allow them to air dry on a clean towel.

Step 2:

Using a sharp knife, cut your vanilla beans lengthwise to expose the seeds inside. Then cut the beans in half vertically so they can easily fit into your jars with a little headspace left over.

Step 3:

Place the equivalent of 2 - 3 whole vanilla beans (4 - 6 cut halves) in each clean bottle.

Step 4:

Fill each bottle with bourbon or vodka, ensuring that the beans are completely submerged.

Step 5:

Cap bottles and place them in a dark cupboard for 5 - 8 weeks. I like to gently shake mine every day or two for the first few weeks to help the vanilla integrate.

Though you can start using the extract as soon as 5 weeks, the flavor will continue to deepen and improve with time. No need to remove the vanilla beans! You can continue to refresh the bourbon and add more beans to the jar as needed to ensure you have a perpetual supply of vanilla magic in the cupboard.

Packaging:

Since I will be gifting most of my bottles, I wanted to elevate the presentation a bit. I kept the packaging simple by melting a little red sealing wax onto each lid, and pressing firmly with a metal seal. I would love to try submerging the entire lid and neck of the bottle in wax to truly seal in the old world magic…but the light was fading and the baby was fussing, so this quick alternative did the trick in a pinch.

xo,

Slow Coffee :: Homemade Rose + Vanilla Bean Iced Lattes

I have been thinking a lot about time lately. How we spend it. How we value it. How we never seem to have enough of it.

We live in a culture that idolizes "busy" and pencils in happiness for a later date...for some fabled time in the distant future when the work is done and the bills are paid and the to-do lists have finally been conquered. It's so easy to forget that we are only allotted a few fleeting hours on this planet. That they will pass no matter how we choose to spend them. That time is a precious and non-renewable resource.

Lately, I have been falling into the trap of "busy." Hook, line, and sinker. Days have been blurring into weeks, and weeks into months, and it isn't until a friend sincerely asks, "What's new?" that I realize I haven't been making time for any of the things that bring me joy. That I have nothing to say except, "Oh, you know...just working a lot." That I have been so caught up in the day-to-day grind, that I have forgotten to actually enjoy life.

So for my birthday this year, I am promising myself the gift of time and committing to carving out a little space, each and every day, to live slowly and mindfully. To start manifesting the creative projects that have been rolling around in the quiet corners of my mind for the past few months. To make things by hand. To play. To plant. To make room for the quiet daily joys I so often rush past. 

And this means I'm going to need to get real cozy with the word "no" (something I have historically been terrible at.) I'm starting to realize that slow living is as much about saying "no" to things that don't serve you, as it is about saying "yes" to things that do. Prioritizing, lovelies. Cutting out what's not essential. Simplifying. Like Marie Kondo-ing your closet, but with your planner. 

So to mark my renewed commitment to slowing down and celebrate the first few glorious days of spring, I made a batch of these lovely Rose + Vanilla Bean Iced Lattes. Infusing the almond milk with whole vanilla bean and rose petals takes a little more time and a little more love, but really, don't all the best things? The end result is floral and creamy and refreshing and barely sweet. The perfect addition to a sunshiny morning spent lounging on the patio, ignoring your inbox. 

Ingredients:

*Please note, like many of my recipes, the amounts here are merely suggestions. Feel free to adjust to your taste. Makes enough for 2.

- 2 cups organic almond milk (soy, coconut or dairy would also work beautifully)

- 1 whole vanilla bean

- 3 T of organic food-grade dried rose petals 

- 2 cups cold brew coffee or fresh espresso shots

Instructions: 

1. Freeze cold brew coffee in ice cube tray to make coffee ice cubes. This will keep the ice from watering down your latte as it melts.

2. Add almond milk to a small pan. Using a sharp knife, cut vanilla bean length-wise to expose the tiny seeds inside. Scrape the inside flecks of vanilla bean into the pan of milk, then add the empty husks to the milk as well. Add rose petals.

3. Heat pan over low heat until it begins to simmer. Once the creamer simmers, remove from heat. Cover and allow to steep for 30 mins - 1 hr. (The longer you steep, the stronger the rose flavor will be.)

4. Strain creamer into a clean jar or bowl to remove vanilla bean husks and rose petals. Those gorgeous little flecks of vanilla bean will stay in the creamer. Chill in fridge.

5. Add coffee ice cubes and fresh espresso shots (or cold brew coffee) to highball glass. Add creamer to taste. Garnish with crushed rose petals.

xo,