As Martha likes to say, "It's a good thing!" And that 'good thing' is a vanilla bean! Some things are just worth the effort--in cost and in labor. And I can honestly say that I think homemade vanilla flavoring definitely falls into that category. Plus, it's so easy to make, and one bottle lasts a long time...even with as much baking as we do in our home! And the taste as compared to 'imitation' vanilla is far superior!
To make homemade vanilla flavoring, you need just two things...some type of alcohol and some vanilla beans. I use bourbon, but some people prefer vodka. (I am in the dark when it comes to knowing about alcohol...I just use what the recipe called for...just wanted you to know that! 
). A dear friend of ours who makes his own homemade cough syrup is always kind enough to buy it for me. And I would guess that for most people who come to my blog, getting the alcohol would be the hardest part of this recipe! LOL
This time I just used a pint, but the last time I made a quart of flavoring. It doesn't matter what quantity you use, but you do need to use the appropriate number of vanilla beans. For a pint, you should use about three beans, but for a quart, you may want to double the amount of beans. Some people use even more.
I ordered my vanilla beans from Penzey's, but I've also found the glass vials of beans at a whole foods market. The beans look somewhat like shriveled pieces of string, but the aroma is SO wonderful! Oh, and I use the Madagascar beans, but Penzey's also sells Mexican beans as well.
Simply lay the bean down on a flat surface, and gently slice the bean open all the way down. I leave my beans attached at the very top. Then, just push them down into the bottle of alcohol. I leave the flavoring alone for a couple of months, or until it is the strength I want it to be. I've read that you can then decant the flavoring into a different bottle, and pour more alcohol over the same beans in the original bottle to start the process over again. I've always just kept using the bottle with beans inside until it's all gone. But I also see the wisdom in keeping two bottles going at the same time in order to have some 'ready' and some 'extracting' at all times. Store in a dark cool place, and shake the bottle several times a week.
Homemade vanilla flavoring also makes a wonderful gift. You can simply pour some of the flavoring into a smaller bottle, attach a cute label, and maybe even stick it into a pretty basket with some other baking supplies, utensils, and recipes. The possibilities are endless!
Another neat use for vanilla beans is vanilla sugar! Split one vanilla bean in half and scrape the seeds from each half.Cut the two halves into about 1/2-inch pieces. Add the pieces and the seeds to three cups of granulated sugar in a glass jar. Tightly close and store for one or two weeks, shaking occasionally.
Sieve the sugar as you use it, returning the beans and seeds to the jar. This may be repeated over and over for 6 months or so, until the flavor of the vanilla sugar weakens. Use vanilla sugar to top cereals, french toast or fruit. Or add it to coffee, tea, or homemade hot cocoa. Yum! Once again, the gift giving possibilities are endless!
ENJOY!
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