Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
1 Tb. corn syrup
12 vanilla beans (more for stronger flavor)

Directions

1.Bring the sugar, corn syrup and water to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over high heat. Split and scrape the vanilla beans and add entire bean and scrapings to the saucepan.
2.Reduce the heat to medium-low.
3.Simmer, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved, 6 to 8 minutes.
4.Let cool completely.
5.Transfer to an airtight container. Do not strain out the beans as they will add to the flavor over time
6.Refrigerate or store in a COOL dark place for several weeks.
To top off make a new batch or half batch and add to previously made vanilla syrup.

The more beans you use the stronger the flavor and it only gets better over time.
To make a thicker syrup increase cooking time.
To more easily pour syrup set container in a warm water bath til heated through.
You can also add vanilla beans to honey for a unique flavor.

Alcohol Free Version:
2 vanilla beans
12 oz glycerin
4 oz warm water
Slit bean down middle and scrape downs seeds. Place both in glycerin and warm water. (softens pod) Place in dark place. Let sit for a month or so. Shake often.

Anyone who tells you any differently is just teaching you how to make vanilla flavored booze.”

One thing to take into consideration is that vanilla beans are different sizes meaning you might find a grade A bean that’s 9-10″ long which would weigh considerably more than an extract grade B bean that’s 5.5″ long. Another thing to take into consideration is that the commercial producers use machines which circulate the alcohol through the vanilla beans 24/7, in completely sealed, pressurized, systems which means that 13.35 ounces of bean in a commercial plant will make a stronger vanilla extract or alcohol or whatever you want to call it, than one can at home with the exact same 13.35 ounces meaning that if you want to get the same flavor from home (and infused rather than percolated) vanilla extract, you’re going to have to add more beans to the same amount of alcohol or get a hell of a workout. In other words, if you want to make a great tasting vanilla extract that you love, you use however many beans you’d like. All vanilla extract is vanilla flavored booze, it just happens that because of a regulation, a certain concentration is allowed to go by a different name. A rose called Bob is still a rose and however the concentration, a bunch of vanilla beans in alcohol is still just vanilla flavored alcohol in the end…

As to alcohol free vanilla, just ground and dry the beans until you have some nice fine powder which you can then add to anything except things that have to be pure white. Better taste and it won’t burn away when cooked too hot (as extract will somewhere around 300). I use a coffee grinder. Cut the beans into small pieces and grind. Let sit overnight to dry (spread out as best as possible) and then repeat the next day and the next until you have the consistency of powder you’d like. You will have traces of vanilla in the food and even tiny pieces can still be crunched in the mouth but it’s barely noticeable and also points out that real vanilla (not pulp mill by-product, yuk, fake vanilla) was used.

mattm