Make it Yourself Monday: Pancake Syrup

Growing up, I totally thought that Mrs. AuntJemimasworth Lite was the be-all and end-all of pancake syrups.  We always had it in the refrigerator (never mind how many months? years? it had been there), and, to me, it tasted, well, good.

I would have continued on with this rosy illusion if I hadn't turned the bottle over in the supermarket one day when my first child was about 1, and read the ingredients. This is what it said:

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, WATER, CELLULOSE GUM, SALT, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARAMEL COLOR, SORBIC ACID AND SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVES), SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE.

Yikes. I had to take a minute right there in the aisle to mentally regroup.  There were only two ingredients I could actually identify as food (water and salt).  After I recovered from my shock and horror, I perused the shelves for a better alternative, and decided on maple syrup -- pure, 1 ingredient, and pretty easy to find locally made. Perfect.

Except I kind of missed that buttery rich (artificial) taste.  So I decided to doctor it up. And frankly, it could not be any easier.

Buttery Maple Syrup 

(adapted from SimpleBites)

1 cup Maple Syrup (I found Organic at Target for $3.99)

1 stick salted butter, cut into 1 tbsp chunks

1-2 tbsp water

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Warm the syrup and water in a small pan.  Whisk in the butter and stir until melted.  Add the vanilla and cinnamon and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute, but not letting the mixture boil.

Best served warm but can be refrigerated for up to a week.  Make sure to warm it up on the stove before serving.

Warning: You will NEVER be able to use commercial syrup again after you taste this! It's that good.