The new ParentDish: helping raise kids of all ages

Make your own coffee syrup

Since I drink coffee pretty much around the clock, I started buying the bottled syrups so I could add my favorite flavors to the cappuccinos and lattes I made at home. However at $10 or so a pop that can be a fairly expensive habit, especially since I like to mix up my flavors often. I decided to make a simple syrup base and then added various flavorings to find out how they tasted in comparison to the store-bought variety. The results were very favorable, in fact one friend of mine swears she can't tell the difference between various Starbuck's drinks and my own homemade versions. I still think there is nothing quite like the original, but these are a reasonable facsimile at the very least.

To make a simple syrup, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until it has reduced by half, which should take about 5 minutes. Now if you want flavoring, you have to add those ingredient(s) at the same time you add the water and sugar. Keep in mind, the following are just examples. I don't really have a precise recipe for this as I usually just wing it, so play around with the amounts and make what suits your own taste.

Vanilla bean

If you use vanilla beans in cooking, always reserve the pod (wrap and refrigerate) once you have scraped the seeds out because it is perfect for something like this. Simply add the pod to the water and sugar mix, prepare as above, and remove it once the syrup has reduced. If you are only making a small batch, you might want to only use a portion of the vanilla pod. If you don't use vanilla beans at home, you can add approximately 1 tsp. vanilla extract to the water & syrup instead.

Cinnamon syrup
Add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the water and sugar mixture. If you want the syrup to resemble the Cinnamon Dolce flavor, use brown sugar instead of white.

Experiment with other flavors, spices, and extracts to find the ones that suit you best. If you like pumpkin pie, use the same spices you would add to a pumpkin pie, etc. Practice in small batches, but once you find a blend you like, you can make larger portions and refrigerate.

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