kappydell Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 (edited) I was at International House of Pancakes a day or two ago, and reminiscing about how they used to have at least 4 different syrup flavors available for pancakes. No more. One flavor. Faux maple. So when I ran across a batch of flavored syrup recipes on the internet I copied them into the pancake section of my recipe collection. I found out there are also many other uses for the syrups (and how shockingly expensive they are to purchase). Here is a batch I found on a site "wearenotmartha.com" First, "HOW TO USE THIS OR ANY SIMPLE SYRUP" Now that I have this syrup in my life, I can't imagine how I ever lived without it! Dare I say, it's my favorite simple syrup I've ever made?? There are so many ways you can use it, but I had so many tastes of it right out of the jar as I couldn't get over how perfectly flavored it was. That said, here are my favorite ways to use it: Coffee Flavoring: The most obvious way to use this syrup is for caramel flavored coffee! This is great for adding to hot or iced coffee and also makes wonderful lattes, macchiatos, and Frappuccinos. Tea Flavoring: This caramel syrup is also delicious for adding sweetness and flavor to teas, both hot and cold. Cocktail Ingredient: Caramel can make for super fun dessert cocktails. But instead of using a thick and creamy caramel sauce or an ingredient like caramel schnapps, this syrup will easily blend right into drinks and add tons of caramel flavor. Use it in white Russians, mudslides, vodka sodas, and so much more! Cocktail Rimmer: I always keep simple syrup in my fridge to use when I'm garnishing my cocktail rims. Brush a little bit of this syrup on the rim of a cocktail glass and you can easily adhere sugar to the rim for all kinds of fun cocktails. Homemade Caramel Soda: If you want a fun mocktail or drink for kids, just add a little of this to a glass of soda water and you'll have instant caramel soda! Hot Chocolate: Stir some of this syrup into hot chocolate for a caramel hot chocolate. Ice Cream Topping: I love drizzling caramel sauce over ice cream, but this syrup also make an amazing topping! Pancake, Waffle, or French Toast Topping: Instead of maple syrup, try topping your breakfast treats with caramel syrup! Oatmeal or Yogurt Topping: Add a little sweetness to your healthy breakfasts by drizzling some of this on top. Cake Moistener: Lots of bakers brush their cakes with simple syrups to make them moister and to add some sweetness. Using this syrup will also add caramel flavor! I think it would be delicious on either vanilla or chocolate cake. Baking Ingredient: Add this to any recipe you want to add a little extra sweetness and caramel flavor to. CARAMEL SYRUP Caramel sauce has a lot of uses, but this homemade Caramel Syrup has even more! It's perfect when you want to add a touch of caramel sweetness to your coffee, tea, or cocktails and makes for a delicious drizzle over pancakes, oatmeal, and so much more! 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water, divided 1 tsp vanilla extract Put sugar and ½ cup water in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil while stirring occasionally. Once sugar has dissolved, let mixture continue boiling without stirring. Watch closely for mixture to turn a light amber color. It usually takes about 8-10 minutes for me, but it can go from light amber to being burnt very quickly, so be sure to watch closely. Once mixture is light amber, immediately remove from heat and slowly and carefully pour remaining ½ cup water in. It will likely splatter and steam up, so stand back while pouring. Add vanilla and stir well to combine. Pour syrup into a heat-proof bowl or mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. NOTE: VARIATIONS ON RECIPE AND SUBSTITUTES Once you know how to make this easy caramel syrup, there are all kinds of things you can do with it to switch things up! Here are a few ideas: If you don't have vanilla extract, you can leave it out, but it does add a little more depth to the flavor. If you want salted caramel syrup, stir in a little bit of salt when you take the syrup off the heat. Combine this recipe with my apple syrup recipe to make a caramel apple syrup. Stir in some cocoa powder or chopped chocolate for a caramel chocolate syrup. Stir in some pumpkin puree for a yummy pumpkin caramel syrup. STRAWBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP If you love strawberries, you'll want to have a jar of this Strawberry Simple Syrup in your fridge at all times! This pretty syrup has so many uses, from making cocktails or mocktails to using as pancake syrup to drizzling over ice cream. It's easy to make and will become a spring and summertime staple for you. 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup hulled and sliced strawberries Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and add strawberries to saucepan. Stir to combine. Let simmer until sugar is dissolved and syrup begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain syrup through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container like a bowl or a mason jar. Press down on strawberries with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard strawberries or use them for something else (they make a delicious ice cream topping!) Place bowl or jar in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. BLUEBERRY SIMPLE SYRIUP 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup fresh blueberries Put sugar, water, and blueberries in a medium-size saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until blueberries have burst and mixture has thickened. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, being sure to press down on the berries to extract as much juice as possible. Keep syrup in bowl or pour into a mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Notes When stored properly in an airtight container, blueberry syrup should stay fresh for about a month. MINT SIMPLE SYRUP Want to add fresh mint flavor to your cocktails without muddling a bunch of mint leaves? This Mint Simple Syrup adds a delicious minty sweetness to drinks, baked goods, and more! Time: 20 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cups simple syrup Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 12 fresh mint leaves Put water, sugar, and mint leaves in a medium saucepan, stir, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, until syrup has thickened. Remove from heat and pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve to strain mint leaves out and into a heat-proof bowl or mason jar. Place bowl or jar in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. APPLE SIMPLE SYRUP Once fall hits, we want apple flavored everything! This easy-to-make homemade Apple Simple Syrup is made with fresh apples and brown sugar and can be used to flavor everything from cocktails and soda to oatmeal, ice cream, cakes, and more. Total Time: 25 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cup Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup packed brown sugar (I recommend dark for 2 apples, sliced (about 2 cups) more caramel flavor, but you can use light too ) ¼ tsp ground cinnamon Put sugar, water, sliced apples, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until mixture has thickened and apples have softened. Strain mixture into a bowl, being sure to press down on the apples with a wooden spoon or spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Keep syrup in bowl or pour into a mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. PEACH SIMPLE SYRUP Wish you could bottle those fresh summer peaches up and enjoy them a little bit longer? With this homemade Peach Simple Syrup, you can! This fruity syrup is easy to make and can be used in everything from drinks to meat marinades. Makes: 1 ¼ cups Author: Sues 1 cup water ¾ cup granulated sugar 1 large peach, sliced (about 1 cup) Combine water, sugar, and sliced peaches in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until mixture has thickened and peaches have softened. Strain mixture into a bowl, being sure to press down on the peaches to extract as much juice as possible. Keep syrup in bowl or pour into a mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. PUMPKIN SPICE SYRUP This simple syrup is packed with lots of real pumpkin flavor and seasonal fall spices. You can use Pumpkin Spice Syrup in cocktails, coffee, and soda, and over ice cream, oatmeal, and so much more! Time: 20 minutes Makes: 1 ½ cups Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup pumpkin puree 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ¼ tsp ground cloves ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan, stir, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has thickened. Pour syrup in a heat-proof bowl or mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. CRANBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP If you can't get enough cranberries during the holiday season, this Cranberry Simple Syrup is for you! Use the syrup to add cranberry flavor to cocktails and mocktails or top yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream and so much more with it! Total Time: 20 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cup Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup fresh cranberries Put water, sugar, and cranberries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes until cranberries have burst and mixture has thickened. Strain mixture into a bowl, pressing down on the cranberries with a wooden spoon or spatula to extract as much juice as possible. Keep syrup in bowl or pour into a mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. CANDY CANE SYRUP This Candy Cane Syrup allows you to transform almost any food or drink into a festive holiday treat! It makes delicious cocktails and soda and is so fun to drizzle over ice cream, in coffee, and so much more. Time: 20 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cups Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 4 standard-size candy canes, broken into pieces Put all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until candy canes have completely dissolved and mixture has thickened a bit. Pour syrup into a mason jar or bowl and place in fridge to cool completely before using. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. RASPBERRY SIMPLE SYRUP 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 cup fresh raspberries Put sugar, water, and raspberries in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until it thickens. Press syrup through a mesh sieve placed over a heat-proof bowl, making sure to press down on raspberries to extract as much juice as possible. Keep syrup in bowl or put in a jar or other airtight container and pace in fridge to cool completely. RHUBARB SIMPLE SYRUP 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup water 1 cups chopped rhubarb In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, water, and chopped rhubarb to a boil. Lower heat and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, until sugar is dissolved and mixture has thickened a bit. Remove saucepan from heat and strain the syrup into a heat-proof bowl. Press down on the mushy rhubarb to extract as much liquid as possible from it. Dispose of rhubarb mush or eat it like applesauce! Put syrup in the fridge to let it cool completely. HOLIDAY SPICED SIMPLE SYRUP 1 ½ cups light brown sugar 1 ½ cups water 1 cinnamon stick 8 cloves 1 star anise ¼ tsp ground ginger Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved and syrup thickens. Strain syrup into a jar or bowl to let cool completely. Store simple syrup in refrigerator. Leave cinnamon sticks and anise in the mixture, if desired, to continue to develop the flavor. VANILLA SYRUP This simple Vanilla Syrup is one of the most versatile simple syrups and can be used in so many drinks, desserts, and more! It's easy to make and once you try it, you'll be sure to always have a jar of it in your fridge. Time: 20 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cups Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise Put water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture has thickened a bit. Pour syrup into a heat-proof jar or container. Scrape out some of the seeds from the sliced open vanilla pod with a sharp knife* and add them and the vanilla bean into the syrup. Place syrup in fridge and let steep for at least 6 hours. Syrup will thicken more as it cools. If you want a more intense vanilla flavor, you can leave the bean in after 6 hours.* When vanilla syrup is stored in an airtight container in the fridge, it should stay good for about a month. Notes *If you are in a rush and don't want to wait 6 hours for syrup to infuse, let it cool and shake jar vigorously to infuse vanilla flavor faster. Taste before using. Scraping out the seeds and adding them to the mixture will give the syrup that flecked vanilla look and will also intensify the flavor of the syrup faster. If you remove your vanilla bean from the syrup, you can rinse and dry it and store to use again. I like to keep my vanilla bean in my syrup... The longer it's in, the more intense the vanilla flavor will be. JALAPENO SIMPLE SYRUP Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cups Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar ⅓ cup sliced jalapeño (from 1-2 jalapeño peppers) Put water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add sliced jalapeños. Lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until syrup has thickened. Pour mixture into a heat-proof bowl or mason jar (strain peppers out if you want to keep the spiciness level down). Place bowl or jar in fridge to cool completely before using. PISTACHIO SYRUP If you're crazy about pistachios and want to add the flavor to everything, make this pistachio syrup! The easy-to-make simple syrup is flavored with real pistachio nuts and can be used for everything from lattes to cocktails to an ice cream topping! Time: 20 minutes Makes: 1 ¼ cups Author: Sues 1 cup water 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup chopped pistachios (can be salted or unsalted) ⅛ tsp salt (if using unsalted pistachios) Put water, sugar, and chopped pistachios in a medium saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until mixture has thickened a bit. Remove from heat and stir in salt if you used unsalted pistachios. Strain the mixture into a bowl, leaving behind the pistachios (I recommend saving them for snacking or topping ice cream with!). Keep mixture in bowl or transfer into a mason jar and place in fridge to cool completely. Syrup will continue to thicken as it cools. I can only find directions for canning fruit syrups. I have seen walnut syrup in the Ball Blue Book, but I cant find any of the other flavors. Wpould thay can like jellies? I dont know. I cant imagine why they wouldnt, but I cant confirm it anywhere. But they all freeze, and all of them say they will last refrigerated for 2 weeks....if they are around that long, LOL. And, of course, CHOCOLATE SYRUP....Cant forget that..... HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE SYRUP 1 cup cocoa 1 1/2 cups hot water 2 to 2 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 tsps salt 1 tsp vanilla Bring cocoa, hot water, sugar and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; boil ab out 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Use anywhere you would use the squeeze bottle store bought stuff...chocolate milk, cocoa, ice cream, etc... It also flavors up nonfat yogurt and is decadent drizzed over strawberry crepes. Certainly not low calories, but at least no corn syrup in these....Im trying to NOT eat that stuff since I saw some research that implicated corn syrup consumption with altzheimers. So no koolade infused corn syrup flavored sweet syrups for me (slthough that could make some interesting flavors, LOL.) Edited February 3, 2023 by kappydell 3 Quote Link to comment
Littlesister Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I am so copying these. Thank you Kappydale. Quote Link to comment
Midnightmom Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 (edited) For those of you who do not want to use sugar (for whatever reason) to create these syrups, watch this video and learn how to make a SUGAR FREE simple syrup that you can add those flavoring ingredients to. Please note - you must use ALLULOSE for two reasons: Allulose browns (carmelizes) like table sugar does Erythritol will crystalize (get gritty) when it cools From Victoria's Keto Kitchen Quote This is Keto Corn Syrup! Perfect for keto candy, pies, and turning any corn syrup recipe into a keto recipe! Gluten free Low carb & Sugar free Ingredients 1 cup water 1.5 cups allulose “do not use erythritol” 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 1 tsp lemon juice Instructions Simmer all ingredients for 20 minutes Let cool on the counter over night. Store in a pantry or fridge. She also has a recipe for "HONEY" here. Quote So many traditional recipes call for Honey! This is the same thickness of real honey to be a 1:1 swap for any recipe! Ingredients 1 cup boiling water 1 1/2 cup allulose 1 tsp lemaon juice 1/4 tsp cream of tartar 2 tsp Honey extract more or less up to your taste Instructions: Simmer/boil for 20-25 minutes look for amber color (Go to the video's page to find the link for getting the honey extract.) Edited February 3, 2023 by Midnightmom 2 Quote Link to comment
kappydell Posted February 3, 2023 Author Share Posted February 3, 2023 SUGAR FREE, no less???? Im sooo there! 2 Quote Link to comment
Littlesister Posted February 3, 2023 Share Posted February 3, 2023 I agree, for me being a diabetic, sugar free is the way to go. Thank you MidnightMom. 1 Quote Link to comment
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