Homemade Pancake Syrup Recipe
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Why It Works
- A tiny amount of brown sugar is all you need for a rich and complex flavor.
- Cream of tartar acts as a catalyst for acid hydrolysis, breaking a portion of the sucrose into fructose and glucose and making this syrup wonderfully smooth and thick.
- Baking soda neutralizes the cream of tartar's acidity, so the syrup tastes deep and rich rather than tart or tangy.
Whether your heart belongs to maple or Mrs. Butterworth, made-from-scratch breakfast syrup will hit the spot in a pinch. It's ultra-luxuriously thick and rich, sweet but not cloyingly so, tempered with plenty of salt and vanilla—no corn syrup in sight! With just a touch of butter, it's perfect for drizzling over pancakes, waffles, and French toast, too.
Recipe Facts
Ingredients
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5 ounces water (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons; 140g)
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9 ounces granulated sugar (1 1/4 cup; 250g)
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1 3/4 ounces light brown sugar (3 tablespoons; 50g) or 1/2 ounce dark brown sugar (1 tablespoon; 14g) (see note)
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3/4 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
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1/4 teaspoon (1g) cream of tartar
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Scant 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
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2 ounces water (1/4 cup; 55g)
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1/4 ounce unsalted butter (1/2 tablespoon; 7g)
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1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
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Combine water, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in a 1-quart stainless steel pot. Place over medium heat and stir with a fork until bubbling hard around the edges, about 5 minutes. With a damp pastry brush, wipe all around the sides of the pot to wash down any visible sugar crystals. Clip a digital thermometer to the pot and cook the amber syrup until it registers 234°F, about 8 minutes.
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Immediately stir in the baking soda with a heat-resistant spatula (the syrup will bubble vigorously), followed by the remaining portion of water. Continue cooking until the syrup returns to 234°F, about 2 minutes longer. Pour into a Pyrex measuring cup to halt cooking, then stir in butter and vanilla. Cool to a safe eating temperature, about 100°F, and serve. Cover leftovers as soon as possible to prevent syrup from forming a skin and refrigerate up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Special equipment
1-quart stainless steel pot, pastry brush, digital thermometer, heat-resistant spatula
Notes
You'll be surprised at how intense a touch of dark brown sugar can be, so don’t add more than a half ounce until you’ve made a batch for yourself. For light brown sugar, you’ll need about three times as much to get the same malty flavor.
This Recipe Appears In
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
---|---|
154 | Calories |
1g | Fat |
38g | Carbs |
0g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
---|---|
Servings: 6 to 8 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 154 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 1g | 1% |
Saturated Fat 0g | 2% |
Cholesterol 2mg | 1% |
Sodium 188mg | 8% |
Total Carbohydrate 38g | 14% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Total Sugars 38g | |
Protein 0g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 0% |
Calcium 7mg | 1% |
Iron 0mg | 0% |
Potassium 25mg | 1% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |