Preparation Method
- Place the almonds in a bowl, cover them with tap water (not the filtered water), and soak them for 12 to 24 hours. Discard any almonds that float to the top. Use a paring knife to split the vanilla bean (if using) lengthwise and scrape out the seeds; discard the pod. Drain the almonds.
- Place the almonds in the blender, followed by the filtered water, scraped vanilla bean seeds (or vanilla extract), and the dates. Select MANUAL/LO and blend, gradually increasing the speed to SPEED 10, until the milk is totally smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Strain the almond milk through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a fine-mesh nut milk bag (a flour sack towel works too) set over a large bowl. Wring out the cloth to extract as much liquid as possible (discard the solids). Transfer to an airtight container or glass jar and refrigerate until well chilled before serving (the almond milk will keep fresh for up to 3 days).
Variation: Cashew Milk
Substitute cashews for the almonds. Because the cashews blend so cohesively into the liquid, you can skip the straining step.
Pro Tip
Vanilla bean pods retain an incredible fragrance and flavor even after you scrape out the seeds. Instead of discarding the pod, you can steep it in vodka or bourbon to make homemade vanilla extract; let it hang out for a few weeks in your sugar bowl to make vanilla sugar; or cut it into pieces and brew it with some black looseleaf tea for an afternoon pick-me-up.
