Maple Vanilla Syrup, an Inexpensive Vintage Recipe

Maple Vanilla Syrup, an Inexpensive Vintage Recipe

If real maple syrup has recently been squeezed out of your budget and you are looking for a replacement, try cooking up a batch of Maple Vanilla Syrup. It is simple to make and tastes delicious!

With increasing grocery prices, many of us are looking for alternatives to some of our favorite, yet non-essential foods. We love our pancakes, French toast, waffles, oatmeal, and Homemade Cream of Wheat with a generous drizzle, but for many of us maple syrup has just been priced out of our budget.

We are all making hard choices, and something’s gotta give. Maple flavored corn syrup from the store is a poor imposter.

Allow me to share an inexpensive, vintage substitute made of sugar, water, a tiny bit of corn syrup, and flavoring cooked together into a nice, drizzly syrup.

My mom made this for our family when I was growing up, before real maple syrup was widely available on the west coast, far away from the land of sugar maples. Watching her measure the ingredients into a saucepan and bring it to a boil, breathing in the comforting aroma of sweet maple, and tasting it on fresh, hot waffles is a happy childhood memory.

You might be surprised to see light corn syrup listed in the ingredients. Light corn syrup is not the same thing as high fructose corn syrup. You can find it under the brand Karo – and others – at the grocery store. If you choose to omit the corn syrup, just know that your syrup will crystallize within a couple of weeks and you’ll have rock candy. Corn syrup slows down re-crystallization, so I do encourage you to add it. One bottle will last you a long, long time.

I don’t feel like I am missing out by not being able to buy the “real thing.” I hope it brings you the same feeling and frees up money in your grocery budget for something else you need or want.

Take advantage of the “Scale” option on the free printable recipe below, which allows you to double or triple the recipe.

Doubling the recipe yields 4 pint jars plus almost enough to fill the bottle in the picture above. Pour hot syrup into clean, hot jars and wipe away any drips with a clean, damp cloth. Apply canning lids and rings to jars.

You can even re-use canning lids for this recipe, if you’re comfortable with that. The nice thing is that if a jar does not seal, you can simply place it in the fridge for storage instead of the pantry, so the risk is low.

The heat of the syrup will seal the jars. Once sealed, remove the rings. Jars may be stored at room temp on your pantry shelf for several months. Once opened, store syrup in the fridge.

Note: If you make homemade vanilla extract, this is a great place to use it! Here is a recipe from Aunt Niki’s Farm for Homemade Vanilla Extract you might like to try.

Maple Vanilla Syrup, an Inexpensive Vintage Recipe

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Adopt this vintage recipe as your own and enjoy it drizzled over pancakes, French toast, waffles, and oatmeal – anywhere you like the sweet taste of maple without the expense of the real thing. If possible, choose unbleached cane sugar over sugar made from genetically modified sugar beets.

• Author: Michele Pryse, FNTP
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 1 quart 1x
• Category: breakfast
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

4 cups unbleached cane sugar or regular granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup (essential to prevent re-crystallization)

2 cups water

1 teaspoon maple flavor

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Measure sugars and corn syrup into a 2-quart heavy-bottom saucepan. Pour water over and stir until sugar dissolves.

2. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently 10 minutes. DO NOT STIR OR REMOVE LID during this time.

3. Remove from heat, uncover, and cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

4. Add maple flavor and vanilla extract and stir with a clean spoon, just until mixed. Pour into a squeeze bottle or glass bottle with a narrow neck for storage. Pour any extra into a second jar and store in the fridge.

Notes

Double the batch to make 4 pint jars. Pour hot syrup into clean, hot jars and wipe away any drips with a clean, damp cloth. Apply canning lids and rings to jars. The heat of the syrup will seal the jars. Once sealed, remove the rings. Jars may be stored at room temp on your pantry shelf for several months. Once opened, store syrup in the fridge.