Living 15 miles from the nearest grocery store has taught me the value of “make do, or do without.” And in learning that, I’ve found that some of my “make do” experiments turn out to be a much preferred item in our home.
The first time we ever ran out of syrup on a pancake or waffle day, I found the following recipe in my hometown church cookbook. It’s fast and easy to prepare, does not contain the dreaded high fructose corn syrup that we try to avoid, and although I haven’t done the math I’m pretty sure the price of homemade beats Mrs. Buttersworth.
Maple-Flavored Pancake Syrup
- 1 3/4 c. white sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 c. water
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 tsp. maple flavoring
Combine sugars and water in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 1 minute. Cool slightly. Add vanilla and maple flavoring. Cover for a few minutes to thicken.
Have you “made do” with something that is now standard in your kitchen? I’d love to hear!
This post is linked to:
- Kitchen Tip Tuesday
- Tasty Tuesday
- Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
- and the final week of the Happy Housewife’s Hot Breakfast Challenge
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Hmmm. I never thought about making my own. The problem would be that I wouldn’t have any maple flavoring. We use honey if we fun out of syrup, but this sounds interesting!
I used to make homemade syrup all the time. It works really well.
I love homemade syrup – and I think the taste is better than Mrs. B! Sorry Mrs. B!
I have been looking for a recipe like this one. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to try it.
Wow! I’ve never even thought about making my own syrup. Thanks for the recipe!
-Kim
Wow! I’ve never had homemade syrup. Yum!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’ll have to add it to my book! We usually get ours while visiting my parents up in Maine, but they’re not there year-round and we always end up running out…so I’ll have to give this a try before grabbing a bottle of Aunt You-Know-Who!!
My dad use to make homemade syrup when I was growing up. I am going to have to try this recipe and take some to him. I’m sure it will bring back good memories to him. Thank you for the recipe.
How long can you keep this? Does it need to be refrigerated afterward? I am going to buy some maple flavoring when I get groceries this week and try this. I had tried to make syrup before, but you had to use it right then because it hardens up on you.
I’ve heard of making my own syrup but haven’t ever tried. Probably better than some of the ones on the market plus better for you without corn syrup.
Great recipe! I make spreadable butter all the time, it’s cheaper and healthier than margarine.
This sounds yummy. Now I wonder how it would be if you used something like strawberry flavoring instead of maple. The possibilities with this could be endless.
We definitely prefer homemade syrup over store bought. My kiddos really like me to make a vanilla version (basically omit the maple, and just use vanilla) and it gives a change up to the regular maple.
Amazing the different things you can make at home!
I make this often because we live in a place where you cannot buy syrup. Its good!
I’ll have to try this; we go through A LOT of syrup!
Thanks for another great tip!
I started soaking and cooking dried beans in my pressure cooker as a “make do” measure. I can’t remember to soak them the night before and don’t want to pay the price for canned beans (or have all that sodium) so this is a good compromise!
Hi Amy, thanks for the recipe! I’ve been wanting to move away from the cheap store bought syrups, but can’t afford maple syrup. This recipe is great…can’t wait to get some maple flavor and try it! We now use homemade ketchup (my tip this week) in place of store bought and like it better:)
Where do you get maple flavoring? Is that something you can get at any store?
Great recipe. Sounds great. I also live a distance from the store and have this same “mantra”-if we don’t have it, we cant get it until the next trek into town! BLessings.
I am so glad that I found your site and this recipe. I have been wanting to make my own syrup, one that has No HFCS. So Thank You,thank you!!! We made it this morning and the family loved it, especially me!
I have been looking for a syrup recipe, I need to try this one as it looks nice and thick!
Toni
We make one similar only we use Sucanat and honey instead of sugar. Homemade syrup is yummy!
I finally made this today and my 3-year old loves it! (Well, all of us did, but he’s the one most attached to the Mrs. B bottle.) I didn’t have any maple flavoring on hand, so I substituted a few drops of orange extract and a tiny dash of cinnamon. Oh man! That was good. Next time I’m at the store I’ll get some maple and see how that is. Thanks!
@Jen, That sounds like a fabulous substitute. The flavor possibilities are endless…
can this be stored or does it have to be used right away?
I store mine in a jar in the refrigerator, then heat before using. A small amount might crystallize at the bottom, but it’s fine.
Thank you for this recipe. My daughter is allergic to corn everything, which means she can’t eat any store bought syrup. They all have high fructose corn syrup. Real maple syrup is the exception to that rule, but it can get expensive.