Flavoured syrups have recently gained in popularity. They come in various flavors with different options including organic or sugar-free varieties. They are used in many ways and are found in countless recipes in cooking, baking, cocktails, and flavored coffee to just name a few.
Cooking
As the saying goes, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. This recipe adds extra flavor to your standard French toast breakfast by using a maple pancake flavored syrup. The recipe calls for 8 slices of bread, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of butter, 4 eggs, ¼ cup of milk, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extra, and 2 tablespoons of maple pancake flavored syrup (or maple spice flavored syrup if want a slight spiciness to your French toast). Instructions indicate to combine the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Set aside. Next, in a skillet or pan, melt butter over medium heat. Combine dry mixture with the eggs, milk, vanilla, and syrup. Dip bread in the mixture then fry until it turns golden brown on both sides. Serve French toast with warm syrup topped with butter.
It’s the middle of winter and you’re sitting in front of your fireplace. You dream of a tropical getaway while craving some BBQ chicken and mangos. Break out your George Foreman grill because you can make this recipe indoors (for lunch or dinner) even without actual mangos. For best results, the chicken will need to be marinated for 24 hours. However, if you are wanting to cook this recipe within the day, give the marinade at least 4 hours to work into the meat. The recipe asks for 4 pieces of 4-ounce boneless chicken breast or thigh meat, salt and pepper (to taste), 1 cup of mango flavored syrup (or spicy mango flavored syrup), ¼ cup of BBQ sauce, a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. To begin, wash and clean chicken pieces then pat dry. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the meat and set aside. In a bowl, combine syrup, BBQ sauce, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture in a ziplock bag together with the chicken meat. Marinate. Again, 24 hours of marinating time will give you the best results, but at least 4 hours of marinating will suffice. After marinating, remove chicken from the ziplock bag and pour used marinade in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer marinade for about 20 minutes until mixture is reduced. Add sesame oil and stir. Grill chicken and baste with the reduced marinade. Cook thoroughly and let the BBQ rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Serve with rice or baked potatoes.
Baking
Another way to incorporate flavoured syrups is through baking. In this recipe, you will be making a s’more flavored sponge cake. The recipe asks for 6 large room-temperature eggs, 1 cup of granulated sugar, 1 cup of all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon of baking powder, 2 tablespoons of toasted marshmallow flavored syrup, ½ cup of chocolate syrup (for drizzling), 1 tub of whip cream, and 1 to 2 cups of crushed graham crackers. To make, preheat oven to 350˚F. While preheating, line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, do not grease sides. In a bowl that is to be attached to an electric mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute on high. While the mixer is still beating the eggs, pour 1 cup of sugar with the toasted marshmallow syrup into the bowl. Mix for 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder then pour into mixing bowl, 1/3 at a time. With each addition, fold mixture and scrape the bottom of the mixing bowl with a spatula until mixture is fully incorporated. When there are no longer streaks of flour, stop mixing. This is to prevent over-mixing which can cause the batter to deflate. Pour mixture evenly between the baking pans. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Once baked, allow to cool then remove cake from pans. Once removed, divide and empty the tub of whip cream on top of the cakes then sprinkle graham crackers on top. You can either combine the cakes to form 1 cake or serve separately. Drizzle chocolate over the cake and serve slightly warm.
These are only a few recipes that incorporate the use of flavoured syrups. As previously mentioned, flavoured syrups are also used to flavor coffee and make cocktails. You will find a number of recipes doing a quick search online.