How to

1. Make Vanilla “Ice Cream”

 Scoop out the seeds and grab two frozen bananas. Place the seeds and bananas in a blender or a food processor is best if you have one. Blend them up and you’ll have an ice-cream that you can serve for dessert or eat for breakfast! I like to add a scoop of peanut butter or mix in chocolate chips or cacao nibs after blending. Keep the outer pod for any of the ideas below. 

2. Make Infused Maple Syrup 

Just split a vanilla bean in 2 leaving about ¼ in from the top and put it in a jar with Maple syrup. Keep it in the syrup for 4 to 6 weeks minimum. Shake the jar regularly (once every 2-3 days).

This is pure heaven, pour it over pancakes, crepes, waffles… also good for dipping your fingers :)  

3. Make Vanilla Extract and Vanilla Paste to use in your recipes

Vanilla Extract

In a glass bottle, add 6 to 8 vanilla pods to 1 cup of vodka. Let it sit in your pantry for 6 to 8 weeks, shaking regularly. You’ll then have an extract which you can use like the store bought kind for cooking – but also – as a fragrance! Spritz it in the air or add a splash to your body butter recipe or even in a bath.  Patience will always pay off with Vanilla extract. You will have a more flavorful extract if you wait 12 to 16 weeks instead of just 6.

Vanilla Paste (Homemade Vanilla Bean Paste)

servings: 2 CUPS (Cut the recipe in half for just 1 cup)

Want to know every good baker's secret weapon?  It's Vanilla Bean Paste!  This 3-ingredient Homemade Vanilla Bean Paste is way healthier than store-bought versions and so much more flavorful.

Ingredients

• 30 Vanilla Beans * (You can use vanilla powder instead)
• 6 tbs Vanilla Extract (I used homemade!)
• 1⅔ cups Agave Nectar (or Vegetable Glycerine for a sugar-free version)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth (you can chop up the vanilla beans if you want to save some time).
2. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the mixture inside.
3. Press on the vanilla bean "pulp" to get as much liquid out. Pour the strained vanilla paste liquid into a jar and seal tightly (discard the pulp, or you can reuse it to steep in homemade vanilla extract).  Store the vanilla paste in the fridge. 

4. Make Infused Salt 

Fill a glass jar with coarse sea salt. Bury in a few pods (use the ones that you scraped out the seeds from) Every time you use a new pod, add it to your jar of vanilla salt. Here’s how you can use it: 

• Use it for any baking recipe that calls for a pinch of salt.
• Sprinkle a little over homemade chocolate treats, roasted sweet potato, pumpkin or carrots
• Or on roasted cashews or nuts.
• Use it in a tomato soup to enhance the flavor.
• Use as a body scrub. If the salt is too coarse, grind it with the pods for a few seconds. 

5. Make a Flavored Powdered Sugar 

You can do vanilla sugar 2 ways.

1. Take the used pods and dip them in a jar of sugar. Keep them for at least 4 to 6 weeks.
2. Dry the used pods and then grind them up with sugar to make a vanilla powdered sugar. 

• Try it with coconut sugar and sprinkle over “raw” brownies!
• Use it to make Vanilla-Coffee
• Use the sugar in any pastry recipe to give it a great vanilla flavor 

6. Make Vanilla Flavored Coffee 

Gently warm sliced vanilla pods in milk to flavour your coffee.

Tip: afterwards, rinse the pods in water and let them dry out, you can still use them to make vanilla sugar, vanilla salt or add them to various recipe. Vanilla pods are good to be used several times! 

7. Make a Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub 

Dry out your used vanilla pods and in a blender with just enough sugar to get your blender going. Then mix what you blended with fine sugar (if you blend all of the sugar, your scrub will be too powdery and will melt away in the oil) Place the sugar in a nice container and slowly add oil (check out my favorite oils for skin) until it forms a wet sand consistency. 

8. Make vanilla body powder 

Dry out your used pods completely, then grind them with arrowroot powder. You can use this all over as scented body powder. 

9. Make vanilla dry shampoo 

Dry out your used pods completely, then grind them with a mixture of 2 parts rice powder, 1 part baking soda. If you have dark hair, add in a bit of coco powder. Sprinkle this scented powder on your scalp and brush out to remove excess oils. 

10. Make Infused Body Oil 

Use this oil straight on the body as a moisturizer, for the hair to blend into your other skincare recipes like a body cream or body butter! If you have tiny seeds in your oil that you don’t want on your skin, strain them out with a coffee filter.