Homemade Pancake Syrup is very frugal and tastes great. Not all of us have the resources or are able to afford real maple syrup. If I had maple trees, I would have tapped them before I unpacked my luggage, but alas, that is not the case.
So, since I do not want to give my children the cheap half chemical and bad ingredient concoction in usual “Imitation maple syrup”, I either splurge and buy rice syrup – which is still expensive enough that I guard its use militarily. OR I make syrup using other sugars.
This gets the award for the easiest recipe. My kids are old enough that they make this without a second thought. It’s just 2 parts sugar, 1 part water. Add Homemade Vanilla Extract and there you have it. Simple and frugal!
- 4 cups Brown Sugar (if using demarara, use 1:1 ratio since it is so sweet)
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon [url href=”https://www.etsy.com/shop/simplelifemom” target=”_blank”]Homemade Vanilla Extract[/url]
- Stir over medium heat until the sugar melts.
- When it starts to boil, DO NOT STIR! If you stir after it starts to boil it will later crystallize into a beautiful rock that you cannot pour onto pancakes.
- If you have a thermometer, boil lightly until about 220 degrees F. If you don’t, let it boil lightly for about 10 minutes then remove from heat.
I pour mine into a cute jar (yes, I like jars) and put it in the fridge for when it’s needed. You can also find glass syrup dispensers at your local stores or online.
People have tried my cheap sugar syrup and thought it tasted amazing! Then I get to tell them it’s just sugar water and watch their jaw drop.
*** For an extra maple flavoring, buy a little maple syrup and add 2 Tbsp per batch. It adds that maple flavor without using anything fake, and is super frugal!
