Easily make Homemade Extracts including my pure vanilla extract recipe & many more!
Note: As a guide you use 1 cup/8ozs of vodka to 4 - 6 vanilla beans, depending on the quality of the beans.
Note: For the almond extract, it is probably best to use, or re-use, a larger jar. Then as few as 8 almonds, which have been skinned, chopped and covered with the alcohol or glycerin in a small jar if using. I would use a larger jar and a handful of almonds, as many as you like. Cover the chopped almonds to about one inch over the ingredients and proceed. Then, when it is ready, you can strain it into smaller bottles and proceed to use the same almonds for a second batch.
To skin the almonds you first blanch them. This means plunging them into <strong>boiling</strong> water for one minute exactly. Wash under cold running water until they are quite cold, then squeeze the nut out of the skin, or rub it off in a clean tea cloth.
Replacing Vodka: just substitute the alcohol called for in any extract recipe with three parts liquid vegetable glycerin and one part water.
You can also replace Vodka with Bourbon.