Sweet Morning

Not the least of which because we made two different kinds of syrup!

The first was Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup from Joy the Baker. Our love for banana-walnut pancakes is well-documented, and Joy actually has an AWESOME-looking recipe for them on the same page as the syrup. However, it's a little more complicated than what we're used to--including separating the eggs and beating the yolks apart from the whites--so since we're lazy, we decided to stick with our old standby, even though her pictures look good enough to eat.

However. She also has a recipe for homemade syrup, which solves a problem that's been eating away at me for awhile. I love syrup on my pancakes. I hate that most storebought syrup is nothing more than caramel coloring and high-fructose corn syrup. I love the idea of using real maple syrup, but hate the fact that a modest-sized jug runs $8-12 no matter where I look. In these lean economic times, I just can't justify it. This quandary has left my hands tied for some time, so we've been eating our pancakes with butter and/or jam; but sometimes, you just want syrup on your pancakes!

Enter the following, which is still pure sugar, but it's made fresh from scratch and is as wholesome (relatively speaking) as the ingredients you put in it.

Vanilla-Brown Sugar Syrup

(from Joy the Baker)

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

1 1/2 cups water

3 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine brown sugar, water, butter, and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a oil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil until syrupy and reduced to about 1 1/2 cups, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and vanilla, then let cool to warm or room temperature.

It was so good. We made a half batch and as promised, it reduced by about half again within 15 minutes. A half batch was enough for two generous pancake eaters, or 3-4 more moderate pancake eaters, so we wound up with just a little bit leftover. I questioned the lemon juice but added it anyway, and was glad I did; it lent just a little bit of depth to what would otherwise have been too one-dimensionally sweet.

Our second syrupy concoction comes via Making A Home and Family and is the basis for a homemade Starbucks' Gingerbread Latte. YUM! Having recently purchased these tiny espresso cups and saucers for less than $1 apiece (which we've realized we will probably recoup in no time due to the fact that we're now drinking about 1/4 of the amount of espresso we used to at one serving), we were delighted to have something so delicious to put in them.

She details how to make the whole thing out of steamed milk and espresso, but because we're pretty individualized in our preferences for the espresso-to-milk ratio, and because we also plan to add it to regular coffee in the morning, I just focused on the syrup.

Which couldn't be easier! Here's what she says to do:

Gingerbread Syrup

Put 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to boil on the stove and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes.

Worked like a charm, although I would even increase the amount of spice next time. We added about a teaspoon to our espressos, and MAHAF recommends 1/4 cup for a full latte. This is definitely something we'll be making again!