How To: Make Homemade Pancake Syrup

Hello friends! Today I thought I would share with you how to make homemade pancake syrup that goes along with my homemade pancake mix.  It tastes like maple syrup, and is made with maple syrup extract, but we can't exactly call it "Maple Syrup" since it's not the real stuff.  But it tastes pretty darn good!  In fact, my kids prefer it to the name brand maple syrup I have been buying for years.  It is also very inexpensive to make.  With the amount of syrup we go through, this saves me a lot of money each month!

Now I have to confess, I didn't make up this recipe.  I did look at quite a few recipe's online and tried a few out.  But the winner was Homemade Maple Syrup from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. If you haven't checked out her blog, you totally should.  She makes really yummy stuff and her recipes always seem to be winners for my family.  

I would suggest that you make this during the day BEFORE you need it for breakfast.  It does take a little while to make (just simmering and cooling), so unless you want to wake up extra early, make it before!

Homemade Pancake Syrup

  

 INGREDIENTS:

• 8 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons pure maple extract
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large 5-6 quart pot, combine the sugars, honey and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low so the mixture gently simmers. Cover the pot and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for 20 minutes before stirring in the maple and vanilla extracts. Let the syrup cool in the pot for another 40 minutes, or so, stirring occasionally, before filling jars/containers. Once the containers are filled, let them cool to room temperature uncovered.
2. Store covered in jars or other containers in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to 2 months in the refrigerator. Gently reheat before serving, if desired.

You can also find this recipe in my online recipe book at PlanToEat.com.

This recipe makes about 10 cups (2 1/2 quarts) of syrup.  I used organic maple syrup extract because the additives are very minimal.  You can also use imitation maple extract (Mapleine) with similar results.

Well there you have it! Please try it and let me know what you think!

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How To: Make Homemade Pancake Mix

Hopefully you are well on your way to getting a morning routine established.  As I mentioned in my last post, I make breakfast for my kids each morning.  Having a good breakfast helps me and my kids start out the day right and my kids have the brain-power and energy necessary for their day.  I also don't want them to be hungry before lunch, so getting them something that will sustain them throughout the morning is essential!  I have a few go-to breakfast meals, that my kids love and gives them what they need, and I thought I would share my favorites with you today.

A few years ago, shortly after Kevin and I got married, I sat down to do our budgeting and our grocery bill was enormous.  After further analysis I was spending a small fortune on cold cereal and other breakfast items.  Kevin told me that his mom (who also had 5 children, all of them boys!) used to make pancakes just about every to feed her hungry brood and not break the bank.  So, I went to the store prepared to purchase some pancake mix.  While standing in the aisle staring at the different choices and how expensive they were, I decided I could come home and make my own for much cheaper and probably healthier too! So I came home and started experimenting with different recipes.  I didn't want to go through the hassle of having to make the pancakes completely from scratch every morning, so I decided to make my own mix with all the dry ingredients and then I would only have to add in the wet ingredients.  And of course I got a pretty glass jar to put my mix in.

Homemade Pancake Mix

   INGREDIENTS:

• 12 1/2 cup flour (can be white or wheat or a mixture of both)
• 5/8 cup sugar
• 5/8 cup baking powder
• 1 2/3 tablespoon salt
• 1 cup flax seeds milled

  DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl or container, wish together flour, sugar, baking, powder, and salt.
2. Mill flax seeds (if you purchased them whole) and add them to your mix.  Wisk together.
3. Place mix in container and use as needed.

  Notes: I purchase my flax seeds in the bulk section at my local grocery store.  I mill them in my magic bullet 1/4 cup at a time.

You can also find this recipe in my online recipe book at PlanToEat.com.

To make pancakes with this mix you will need:

• 3 cups dry mix
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup oil

This recipe makes about 18 4-inch pancakes.  You can cut in half or double as needed.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl add in dry mix and eggs

2. Add in milk and oil.  I rarely measure my wet ingredients.  I usually just eyeball it.  Wisk together until it is mixed throughly.

3. Spoon onto hot griddle.  If I have all 5 of my kids home, I will usually put 6 pancakes on my griddle at once.

4. Flip when bubbly

5. When cooked thoroughly, eat with your favorite toppings and syrups!

My children prefer Homemade Syrup.  They also like to cover their pancakes in peanut butter (which they learned from me) which gives them some extra protein and makes it stick with them even longer!

Tip: Let any leftover pancakes cool completely and then put in a container or bag to be eaten later.  These will easily last for up to a week, probably longer if kept in the fridge.  This is helpful if you are busier some morning and don't have time to make them from scratch.

Variations on Pancakes:

In the fall, my family loves Pumpkin Pancakes.

I have also been known to have some fun with pancakes on St. Patrick's Day!

Besides pancakes I routinely make big batches of muffins.  We eat them fresh and then I put them in freezer baggies for my husband to grab for work or kids to grab for snacks.  If we are having muffins, I usually make some eggs to go with them.  We also eat oatmeal, and occasionally cold cereal if I have a busy morning and there are no pancakes or muffins.

Here are some links to my favorite muffin recipes.

Bran Muffins
Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins
Whole-Wheat Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I also make Egg & Bacon Muffins frequently for my husband to take with him.  He prefers them with the bacon cooked, cut up, and put in the eggs.  He also prefers them as mini-muffins instead of full size as the texture is better.

What are some of your go-to recipe's for breakfast? Any time-saving or money-saving tips?


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