FOUND http://www.biggerbolderbaking.com/homemade-extracts/
Author: Recipe from 'Just Putzing around The Kitchen'
Ingredients
Vanilla Extract
3 whole vanilla beans
Vodka (You can also use bourbon)
Mint Extract
½ cup mint leaves
Vodka
Orange Extract
1 large navel orange
Vodka
Lemon Extract
1 large lemon
Vodka
Almond Extract
10 raw almonds, chopped (unsalted, untoasted)
Vodka
Instructions
To make Vanilla Extract
Cut your vanilla beans in half, then split open each half to expose the vanilla seeds on the inside of the pod.
Place cut vanilla beans inside your glass bottle.
Add vodka, filling up to the neck of the bottle.
Seal tightly and store bottle in a cool, dry place.
Every few days, tilt your bottle upside down to gently mix the liquid inside.
After 5-6 weeks, you have extract! (If you leave in your vanilla beans, when you start running low, just add more vodka and wait a little.)
To make Mint Extract:
Stuff mint leaves into your glass bottle.
Using a chopstick, skewer, or other poking device, lightly bruise/crush the leaves inside the bottle.
Add vodka, filling up to the neck of the bottle.
Every few days, tilt your bottle upside down to gently mix the liquid inside.
After 5-6 weeks, you have extract! (I’m not sure if, like vanilla extract, you can just leave the mint leaves inside. Since it’s leafy plant matter which disintegrates more easily, it may be a good idea to take it out. My leaves went from a vibrant green in the beginning to kind of a dull brown by the end so I took them out just to be safe – I poured my mint extract into another container through a sieve and discarded the mint leaves, then poured the filtered extract back into the bottle.)
To make Orange Extract:
Peel thin strips of zest from ½ of your orange.
Place zest into your glass bottle.
Add vodka, filling up to the neck of the bottle.
Every few days, tilt your bottle upside down to gently mix the liquid inside.
After 5-6 weeks, you have extract! (I think with citrus peels the acid (and alcohol bath), it’s probably safe to leave the peels inside the bottle like a vanilla bean for re-fill purposes. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, take it out!)
To make Lemon Extract:
Peel thin strips of zest from your lemon.
Place zest into your glass bottle.
Add vodka, filling up to the neck of the bottle.
Every few days, tilt your bottle upside down to gently mix the liquid inside.
After 5-6 weeks, you have extract!
To make Almond Extract:
Chop your raw, unsalted almonds small enough to fit in your jar.
Place chopped almonds into your jar.
Notes
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.
Labels: DIY, spices
