START TO FINISH: 15 minutes MAKES: 3 cups
Add these flavored syrups to home-crafted coffee drinks or make an Italian soda by stirring the syrup into carbonated water.
2 cups sugar
2 cups water
2 tsp. vanilla
1. In a small saucepan combine sugar and the water. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla; let cool slightly.
2. Transfer syrup to a bottle; seal. Store at room temperature up to 1 month.
Caramel Drink Syrup: Prepare as directed, except reduce sugar to 1 cup and add ½ cup Homemade Caramel Sauce (recipe, below) or caramel-flavor ice cream topping* to the sugar-water mixture. Reduce vanilla to 1 tsp. Makes 3 cups.
Hazelnut Drink Syrup: Prepare as directed, except substitute 3 Tbsp. hazelnut liqueur for the vanilla. Makes 3⅓ cups.
Raspberry Drink Syrup: Prepare as directed, except add 1 cup fresh raspberries, crushed, to the sugar-water mixture. Omit vanilla. Let hot mixture stand 10 minutes, then strain into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve lined with two layers of 100%-cotton cheesecloth. Makes 3⅓ cups.
Homemade Caramel Sauce: In a small heavy saucepan stir together 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup water. Bring to boiling over medium-high heat; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 2 minutes. Uncover and simmer, without stirring, until mixture turns a deep amber color. Immediately remove from heat; cool 1 minute. Carefully whisk in ¼ cup hot water (mixture will bubble rapidly). When bubbles subside, stir in 1 tsp. vanilla and dash salt. Makes ¾ cup.
*Recipe Note: If you use caramel-flavor ice cream topping to make the syrup, it will be cloudy.
PER 1 TBSP. SYRUP, VANILLA OR VARIATIONS: 33 cal., 0 g fat, 0 mg chol., 0 mg sodium, 8 g carb., 0 g fiber, 0 g pro.