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  • Home
    • Disclosure Policy
    • About Me
  • What's New! (Blog)
  • Low-Carb Lifestyle!
    • Trim Healthy Mama-inspired Grocery Lists
    • THM-style Beverages >
      • Mock Starbucks Mocha Frappuccinos
    • Family Favorite Recipes (Not Low Carb) >
      • Snacks >
        • Delicious Homemade Gooey Granola Bars!
        • Healthy Peanut Buttery Treats
      • Soups and Stews >
        • Jamaican Seafood Chowder
        • Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
      • Salads >
        • Red Cabbage Coleslaw
      • Main Dishes >
        • Beef >
          • Beef Stroganoff
        • Chicken >
          • Chicken Fiesta
          • Chicken Nachos
          • Marinated Zucchini and Chicken Sandwiches
          • Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas
          • Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
          • Green Chili Chicken Lasagna
        • Lamb >
          • Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
        • Seafood >
          • Chilled Quinoa and Salmon Salad (E)
          • Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas
        • Pasta Recipes >
          • Baked Lemon Pasta
          • Paccheri (Pasta) with Cauliflower and Tomatoes
      • Desserts >
        • Cookies >
          • Free Christmas Cookie cookbook download!
          • Healthier Gingerbread Man Cookies
          • Healthier Holiday Cut-Out Cookes
          • Maple Leaf Cookies - YUMMM!
        • Donuts
        • Frozen Desserts >
          • Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
    • Recommended Ingredients and Foods >
      • Inspiration Mixes - Gluten/Dairy/Caseine/Wheat Free and delicious!
      • Organic Maple Syrup
  • Homeschooling
    • Homeschool Curriculum & Product Reviews >
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews >
        • Art >
          • ARTistic Pursuits
          • Simply Draw!
        • Grammar >
          • All About Homophones - (Marie Rippel)
          • Time 4 Learning
          • Daily Grams
        • Handwriting >
          • Cursive Handwriting - New American Cursive
        • History >
          • The Mystery of History >
            • MOH vol. 3 Audio MP3's
          • Tapestry of Grace History
          • U.S. History >
            • America, The Last Best Hope (William Bennett)
          • Winter Promise
        • Latin >
          • Latina Christiana, by Memoria Press
          • Visual Latin
        • Literature-based Unit Studies >
          • Beyond Five in a Row
          • Further Up and Further In by Diane Pendergraft
        • Logic and Reasoning >
          • Building Thinking Skills (Critical Thinking Skills Co.)
        • Math >
          • Math Mammoth
          • Math Tutor DVD.com
          • MathRider: Horselovers' Math Facts Software Game!
        • Music and Composers
        • Online Educational Courses >
          • Aleks Online Courses
        • Science >
          • Apologia Science >
            • Apologia Science's Notebooking Journals
            • Zoology 1 - Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day
          • Science Weekly newsletters
        • Spelling >
          • Phonetic Zoo (by IEW)
        • Writing >
          • The Write Foundation: Level 2 - Paragraphs
          • WriteShop's StoryBuilders
      • Homeschool Product Reviews >
        • eBooks >
          • College Success Begins at Home (TOS eBook)
          • Dreams and Designs—Homemade Supplies to Complement Your Homeschool
          • Help, Lord, I'm Getting Ready to Start Homeschooling My High Schooler!
          • The 2010 Schoolhouse Planner
        • Online Educational Website Memberships >
          • KB Teacher
        • Science >
          • Polymer Crystals
    • Driver's Education for Homeschoolers
    • Foreign Language >
      • Latin >
        • Christmas Songs in Latin
        • Latina Christiana (Level 1) >
          • Latina Christiana Level 1 Lesson Links >
            • Charts and Helps
            • Year One Sayings
            • LC1 Intro and Lesson 1
      • Latina Christiana (Level II) >
        • Latina Christiana Level 2
        • LC2 Intro and Lesson 1
    • Forms and Charts >
      • "Week At A Glance" Planner
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
      • 2012-2013 Homeschool Attendance Form
    • Free Audio Books to Download
    • Free Homeschool I.D. Cards!
    • Government and Civics
    • Handwriting
    • History: Classical / Chronological >
      • The Mystery of History, by Linda Lacour Hobar
      • The Middle Ages (MOH vol. 2)
      • Ancient History (MOH vol. 1) >
        • Ancient Rome >
          • Roman Architecture
          • Roman Houses
          • Roman Town (software game by Dig-It)
          • Roman Trade and Commerce
    • Language Arts
    • Science
  • Free Printables
    • Holidays >
      • Christmas
  • Book/DVD/Audio Reviews
    • Children's Movie/DVD Reviews
    • Other Product/Company Reviews
  • Home & Family
    • Frugal Living
    • Gardening and Herbs
    • Marriage - God's Way
    • Life at Home
    • Godly Kids & Teens >
      • Godly Womanhood
      • Sharing God With Your Children
      • Training Our Daughters to be Keepers at Home >
        • Keepers At Home - "Beginning of Club Year" Helps
        • Keepers At Home - "End of Club Year" Helps
        • KAH Skills >
          • Bible Memory >
            • Memorizing New Testament Books and Their Meanings
            • Proverbs 31:10-31
          • Cake Decorating
          • Card Making >
            • Stitched Cards
          • Computers
          • Character Studies >
            • Contentment and "I'm Bored" phrases
            • Willingness
          • Decoupage
          • Hospitality
          • Library Skills and Literature Pins
          • Sewing >
            • Beauty and the Pig - Goldie Doll
            • Edwardian-Style Aprons
            • Paper Piecing
      • Children >
        • Bible Study Bookmarks
        • The Church History ABCs (for kids!!!)
        • The Lord's Prayer - copywork
        • Some Thoughts...Family Bible Time
        • Running Away...with permission
      • Young Adults (Teens) >
        • Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss
        • Deeper Roots: Discovering Our Amazing God
  • Frugal Family Trips to Washington, D.C.
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Homemade Gluten-Free Vanilla Recipe

6/5/2010

4 Comments

 
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Photo by Paul Jacobson

     I've wanted to try making my own gluten-free vanilla at home for years.  My friend, Wardeh, from www.GNOWFLINS.com, has recently inspired me to start doing this!  After doing some other research on the internet, here is what I've come up with to make my own gluten-free vanilla, a never-ending supply to have on hand at all times.  All you will need are two simple ingredients:  vanilla beans, and bourbon or potato vodka. 

     Since I don't prefer the taste of alcohol, I'm pretty naive about varieties of liquors and alcoholic beverages.  I did learn recently that vodka is usually made from grain, so that isn't gluten-free.  However, most liquor stores also sell "potato mash vodka", which, simply put, is vodka made from potatoes.  The local liquor store I went into had at least six different brands of potato vodka.  The clerk told me that if alcohol is made from something other than grains, the bottles are required to state from what the mash is made - potato, corn, barley, etc. 

      Pure Mexican vanilla is amazing, but it is difficult to know whether it is pure or not.  When our family was in Mexico a few years ago on a family missions trip with other families from our church, we were very excited to buy Mexican vanilla inexpensively - a large bottle for only $5.  However, we couldn't guarantee what was in it, besides alcohol that had soaked vanilla beans.  We had no way to know if we were getting a product that was "watered down" or contained something harmful.  

     If you purchase Mexican vanilla and can learn more about it, be careful not to buy any that contains tonka bean extract, which contains coumarin; this is often used because it has a similar taste to real vanilla extract.  Coumarin has caused liver damage in lab animals and is banned in foods in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration. 

   
I did learn a few years ago even Trader Joe's brand of vanilla contains glycerin as a filler.  While the glycerin isn't harmful, it is an unnecessary ingredient for which you will be paying, making the vanilla more costly per ounce.  Vanilla from the U.S. can also contain undesirable chemicals, so making your own vanilla is a great idea!

      You may use vanilla beans leftover from recipes that you've made, by simply rinsing them off and adding them to the bourbon or potato vodka. You can also use a new bean, in order to add the fragrant vanilla seeds. Whenever your vanilla starts to gets low, just top off the bottle with a little bourbon and add fresh vanilla beans about once every year or two.  I've been using these vanilla beans from Amazon.com.


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      Using a sharp paring knife or clean kitchen scissors, cut lengthwise down three vanilla beans, splitting them in half, leaving an inch at the end connected.   You can scrape out the seeds or leave them there for stronger vanilla flavor. 

    Place the vanilla beans in a clean glass jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid.  Mason canning jars work well for this, or an empty jar from the grocery store - a jar that contained olives, pickles, marshmallow creme, although it would be better to have a jar that has not contained any strong-smelling foods.

     Cover the beans completely with bourbon or vodka, at least 1 cup. Shake the sealed jar and store it in a dark, cool place, away from sunlight, for two months or longer. Every few days, give it a good shake. After two weeks, you will have a mild vanilla extract and the flavor will continue to get stronger the longer it sits. It may take as long as four months to turn dark and have a rich flavor. Continue to add more vanilla beans and bourbon so that you have a never-ending supply.

      Commercial vanilla extract usually has simple syrup (sugar water) added to the extract to give it a sweet aftertaste. You can do this if you want, but there really is no need to add the extra sugar to your diet.

     You can also make vanilla sugar by putting a split vanilla bean into a jar of white, granulated sugar. This is a great way to infuse the sugar with vanilla flavor for baking, as long as you aren't in weight-loss mode or struggle with diabetes.

     If you are planning on giving away bottles of homemade vanilla for Christmas gifts, you should probably plan on starting them no later than August or September, to give them plenty of time to get ready.

Other extracts I enJOY making:

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My directions for making homemade Chocolate Extract
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Quick and easy Coffee Extract!
 
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4 Comments
Barbara from MA link
8/7/2014 10:10:53 pm

Thank you so much for sharing your homemade vanilla extract recipe. It was very generous of you. I am going to make an attempt at a few Christmas gifts as well as the vanilla bean sugar.
You're amazing.
Barbara

Reply
Julieanne link
8/8/2014 05:48:48 am

You're welcome, Barbara! Good idea to start these early for Christmas, as the longer they "sit", the stronger and better they taste! :)

Reply
J R
5/29/2015 01:34:08 pm

Kindly confirm- do you use potato vodka or bourbon? I am a little confused since you mention both; Thanks!

Reply
Julieanne link
7/22/2015 06:50:44 pm

Either one is fine to use. :) It depends on your taste preferences for vanilla. I generally use potato mash vodka these days because the alcohol flavor isn't as strong.

Reply



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