15 Minute Homemade Amaretto

Amaretto is one of those liquors that I don't usually buy, because it's a little too specialty for me.  This homemade version solves this problem!  You can use any vodka that you want.  I chose an organic brand - Prairie.  See yesterday's post for more information on that type.  I've become a big fan.

I'm working on a whole series of DIY gifts for the holidays.  This happens to be the first one.  Next week is PIE WEEK, and I needed some amaretto for one recipe, so I had to let the cat out of the bag a little early.  It's so simple and quick to make.

If you don't have any coconut sugar on hand, you can substitute brown sugar in this recipe.  I don't like to use the processed sugars as much, so try to avoid them if you can.  Your body will thank you later.

Ingredients:
Lightly adapted from Bella Limento

1 1/2 c. water
1 c. coconut sugar
2 T. almond extract
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. vodka, like Prairie
sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:
On a stop top, heat the water, sugar, and cinnamon over medium-high heat.  You want to dissolve all of the sugar completely.  Heat and reduce for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let it cool for 10 minutes.

In the mean time, in a heat safe bowl, combine the vodka, vanilla, and almond.  When the water/sugar mixture is somewhat cooled, pour it into this bowl and stir.

Once it was really cool, I poured mine into a Nalgene bottle to measured it.  This recipe makes about 30 ounces of amaretto.  

I recycled some of these organic salad dressing bottles from Target and stripped the labels off of them.  Once cleaned, you can add your own labels and tags to them - they're the perfect size!  This recipe fills about three of them.

Enjoy gifting this amaretto; it's great for both drinking and baking :-)

Cheers!
-Aileen