Vanilla Powder - Tools for making vanilla extracts

Make your own fresh vanilla for using a few simple tools. Your vanilla flavoring will include natural ingredients and they will control the quality. Commercial vanilla processors add sugar or another type of sweetener or combine pure vanilla with synthetic vanillin to reduce production costs. For avoiding this, it's easy to create your own vanilla flavoring at home.

                         Cut the beans in lengthwise with the scissors and leave an inch at one end intact. Place the beans in the glass jar. Pour the vodka over the beans and push the beans down into the alcohol. Put the lid on the jar and place it in a cool dark place for 8 weeks. The longer you leave it, the more pronounced the vanilla flavor will be. Shake the jar every couple of weeks to mix the vanilla pods with the vodka. Add sugar syrup to sweeten. For making the syrup, boil 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water. Remove from heat when the sugar is dissolved.
                 Use in baking when flavoring has reached desired potency. It should have a medium amber color. You can remove the beans once you're satisfied with the flavor of your extract or you can leave them to steep and develop more flavor.
                     Make your own vanilla powder at home by processing dried vanilla beans in a coffee grinder. Drier vanilla beans will make for a more powdery end result. Because it does not contain any alcohol, the flavor of vanilla powder is not affected by prolonged cooking times. Try using vanilla powder in white icings to prevent the color tint caused by using dark vanilla extract. Sprinkle vanilla powder directly onto waffles, oatmeal, fruit and other foods to quickly add a rich vanilla flavor to your meal. Because it dissolves quickly and does not contain any alcohol, vanilla powder makes an ideal addition to hot drinks such as coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

For more details about:  Vanilla Beans Recipes