A couple of years ago, I uncovered a secret that completely changed the way I cooked and baked. I discovered that it was possible to order bulk lots of vanilla beans on eBay for cheap. I went from treating the vanilla bean as a precious item to using them freely. And this time of year, they can become an easy path to a sweet, homemade holiday gift. Homemade vanilla syrup can sweeten coffee, is delicious in plain yogurt and is wonderful drizzled as a quick glaze over top of any number of simple baked goods.
To make, combine one cup of water with two cups of sugar and add three to four vanilla beans, split lengthwise and scraped. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and pour into half pint jars (when I made this tonight, I filled two half pints and one quarter pint). Include a piece or two of vanilla bean in the jar to keep infusing. Wipe the jar rims, apply lids and rings and processing in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes for a shelf stable syrup. Alternately, if you plan on keeping it for yourself and using it directly, you can skip the processing and keep at room temperature for up to a week.
Gift this with some pancake mix, freshly baked scones or a pound of coffee.
Related posts:
Browse Timeline
Comments ( Be the First )
[...] Vanilla Syrup in a Jar (I love the picture of this one!) [...]
Update from MIA-ville « wake up, little sushi. added these pithy words on Dec 04 09 at 6:44 pmGoodness! They are cheap on ebay, aren’t they? Thanks for the tip!
1. Meryl added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
12:32 am
I have to try this! What is with the jars of popcorn, I saw them on flickr, and thought I missed something!
2. Rcakewalk added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
2:13 am
You can make vanilla soda with it as well. I use vanilla syrup like that (or lemon verbena) for canning or stewing fruit. If you can find a quince around try stewing one of those in vanilla syrup – and then you can drink the syrup when the quince is done. We also add the ginger bug to it to make it fizzy instead of buying soda. That’s a big treat around here!
3. Sustainable Eats added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
2:19 am
Oh yes, this changed my life as well. Although I get mine from Saffron.com. I like that I can get organic and choose from 3 different kinds. I buy in bulk and share with friends & family. I find myself using vanilla beans in everything now.
I’ll have to give this recipe a go, sounds delicious!
4. Chiot's Run added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
8:16 am
Meryl They are so cheap, it’s amazing.
Rcakewalk I have a post planned to go along with those jars of popcorn, I just haven’t had the time to write it yet.
Sustainable Eats Mmm, vanilla syrup. I forgot about that one (and I was just having a conversation with my cousin about old-school vanilla cokes).
Chiot’s Run I will have to check out Saffron.com! I know that some of the beans on eBay are organic, but that sounds like a website I could get behind.
5. Marisa added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
8:32 am
Thanks for the tip about ebay. I never bought vanilla beans because they are so pricey at the grocery store. Do they keep well? How should they be stored?
6. Kristia @Family Balance Sheet added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
9:08 am
Marisa,
Would you can simple syrup, unflavored, the same way? That could be useful for spontaneous cocktail makin’! I’m off to order vanilla beans…
7. Rcakewalk added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
10:23 am
Marisa, Is there and Ebay seller you’ve bought from that has been good? I had NO idea they were so cheap!
8. katie added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
12:07 pm
OMG! You are a genius. I’m off to make this for everyone for Christmas!
9. Era added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
1:08 pm
Mmmm! This is similar to the syrup left over from making the pears in vanilla syrup, which was Fabulous. That was the first time I used a real vanilla bean, and I’m going to keep it up now.
10. Eleanor added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
1:59 pm
Genius, yes! Thanks for sharing. This syrup looks great. And good question from Rcakewalk on the simple syrup–can you can this?
11. Julia added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
8:15 pm
This sounds delicious and easy. I’m going to add it to my list of things I’ve got to can.
12. Cara added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
9:11 pm
Hmmmm – I never thought of canning my simple syrup. I usually just keep it in the refrigerator – and find that it easily lasts a couple months.
I’ve never made vanilla syrup, but I do make peppermint syrup. Which I usually add to hot cocoa. Because of the peppermint leaves, I find the peppermint syrup only lasts a month max in my fridge. Too bad my peppermint is long gone – I guess I’ll know to can it for next year.
13. daisy mae added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
10:38 pm
This is fantastic! I know what you mean about vanilla beans on ebay–I wish I could find deals like that all the time. I think this would be perfect for Christmas.
Do you have any thoughts on making vanilla extract? Or, I should just learn the proportions (one bean equals how many teaspoons of extract)? and do that instead. Still, it’s nice to have both, depending on the use.
14. Sara added these pithy words on
Dec 01 09 at
11:29 pm
15. This is probably the most exciting gift you can get in a jar. I made some lemon-vanilla marmalade recently, but this would have done the job much better and more cheaply!
16. Mr. P added these pithy words on
Dec 02 09 at
1:02 am
I’m sure you could freeze it in ice cube trays as well. That might help make a mean vanilla martini…
17. Sustainable Eats added these pithy words on
Dec 02 09 at
1:07 am
And don’t forget the simplest pleasure, vanilla sugar. Whenever I finish scraping out a pod, I just throw it into the nearest sugar bowl. But I might have to be more careful if I start buying them on ebay by the pound.
18. Ted Fristrom added these pithy words on
Dec 02 09 at
3:44 am
What a great thing to find out!!! Which vanilla beans do you recommend? Any particular seller or variety? Thanks for the info.
20. Cindy added these pithy words on
Jan 03 10 at
7:00 pm
What a wonderful thing to learn. Inexpensive vanilla beans!!! Thanks. Which variety do you get or which seller do you go through?
21. Cindy 6174 added these pithy words on
Jan 03 10 at
7:02 pm
http://era-errant.blogspot.com/2009/12/tis-season.html
I did it, and it’s incredible!
22. Era added these pithy words on
Jan 06 10 at
10:09 am
I made this today – I was in serious need of a canning fix. Super easy and super delicious. I don’t know if I will be giving any away, though. Thanks for the recipe.
23. bridget added these pithy words on
Mar 14 10 at
10:28 pm
Cook’s Illustrated describes a way to make vanilla extract by putting a vanilla bean into vodka. Might want to look it up. I have done it, and it is delicious.
24. aelwyn added these pithy words on
Mar 29 10 at
9:28 pm
I too just bought and received my vanilla pods from eBay (100 for $20). I am excited about all thing I can now do. I already have 2 bottles of vodka with the vanilla pods in them waiting to make vanilla extract and had found a recipe for making syrup with the extract but thanks to you I can can them in jars and save them that way and won’t have to wait for my extract. I have also made sugars with just vanilla and some with both vanilla and lavender which ia added to my pear honey recipe as a substitute for plain sugar.
25. Kristina added these pithy words on
May 13 10 at
12:27 am
Could you simmer the beans in water to get the water infused with the bean, then strain the water through a filter to get the seeds out before adding the sugar?
The vanilla ice cream I made was the best ever, and that was with extract grade beans. The next will be with Grade A beans. I’m looking forward to the other things I can do with the 1/4 pound of grade A beans I bought on Ebay.
26. Joseph Massimino added these pithy words on
Jul 26 10 at
4:46 pm
