Spice up your coffee with a flavored syrup.
Gourmet coffee shops offer tantalizing drinks containing different types of flavored syrups. To achieve the same results at home, make different flavored syrups to complement and sweeten your coffee. These syrups can be made with fresh ingredients or flavor extracts in any number of varieties. Add them to hot coffee and cream or blend ice and coffee with the syrups to create a cool confectionery treat. These simple syrups take little time to make and you can mix them into coffee and iced tea or add them to ice cream and other desserts.
Instructions
1. Bring 2 cups water to a boil over medium-high heat in a 2-quart pot. Add 2 cups sugar to the boiling water. Stir the mixture continuously until the sugar dissolves completely.
2. Add 1 cup of freshly washed raspberries or blueberries to make fruit-based syrup. Simmer the fruit until it becomes soft, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Strain the syrup through a sieve.
3. Add 4 cinnamon sticks to the syrup base to make cinnamon syrup. Remove the pot from the heat. Steep the cinnamon sticks in the hot syrup for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the syrup through a sieve. To add a boost of flavor, add one-half teaspoon of cinnamon extract to the syrup while the sticks are still steeping.
4. Create chocolate syrup by adding 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and one-eighth teaspoon of salt to the syrup base. Stir well. Simmer the mixture until the syrup thickens, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the syrup base for vanilla syrup. Split a vanilla pod lengthwise with a knife and scrape out the seeds. Add both the pod and the seeds to the sugar and water mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Strain the syrup through a sieve.
6. Create a hazelnut, coconut or almond syrup by adding 2 teaspoons of flavored extract to the syrup. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat.
7. Make orange syrup, for use in coffee, by adding 2 teaspoons of fresh or dried grated orange rind and 1 teaspoon orange extract to the base. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pot from the heat. Strain the syrup through a sieve.
8. Cool the syrup to room temperature for each type of flavor. Pour it into a glass jar or bottle. Store it in the refrigerator for up to one month. Shake slightly before using; the syrups remain liquid, although slightly thicker, when refrigerated and do not require reheating before use.
Tags: , Remove from, heat, stirring occasionally, Strain syrup, Strain syrup through