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How to Make Cognac Vanilla

Source of Recipe

From "Camille Glenn's Old-Fashioned Christmas Cookbook"


Recipe Introduction

"This is the supreme vanilla extract—a keystone in baking exceptionally good cakes and cookies. Ounce by ounce, it's not quite as expensive as the so-called pure vanilla available at the market."

To make cognac vanilla, cut a vanilla bean in half lengthwise, exposing the tiny seeds, and then cut the halves into small lengths. Place the pieces (with the seeds) in a bottle containing 4 to 5 ounces of cognac (or brandy) and close it tightly. Shake the bottle every once in a while to free the seeds from the pods.

This mixture will keep, at room temperature, for two to three years, although you can use it immediately. (I do a great deal of baking, so I use 6 vanilla beans in a fifth of cognac.)

The extract will always smell predominately of cognac, but the vanilla flavor comes gloriously and deliciously alive when it comes in contact with heat. Some cooks use vodka instead of cognac or brandy, but that makes a very poor extract.