Strawberry Maple Syrup

It's Pancake Day! OK, it's half an hour until pancake day...minor technicality. But, I work evenings now, so I will not be able to have pancakes for dinner tomorrow :-( I can, however, have them for breakfast! So, to save time, I made the syrup tonight, and as soon as I am done typing about it, I will get all the ingredients together for the pancakes in the morning. I get grumpy if breakfast takes to long.

This afternoon, because of President's Day in the US and Family Day in most of Canada, it was quiet at work. So, i used my time somewhat wisely, and googled pancake recipes!  I found this syrup on a website called Breakfast and Brunch Recipes. I didn't know if I wanted the strawberry or Pineapple, but after copying them both out into my notebook, i decided on the Strawberry. I had a bunch in the freezer from last summer that needed to be used up.

Strawberry Maple Syrup



16 oz frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed.
1 cup sugar.
1/4 cup real maple syrup.
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Thaw berries. Mash and strain to separate juice, microwaving to get a bit more if necessary. Measure out one cup of juice (add a bit of water if necessary). In medium saucepan, combine sugar and juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens slightly. Remove from heat and add syrup, vanilla and berries. Stir to combine. Let cool 15 minutes before using to top ice cream, waffles or pancakes.

Not the best picture, but it is late, and I am tired :-) This came together very easily, aside from the straining the berries. All i have for a strainer is a bitty one, it holds about 4 Tbsp of berries at a time, so it went slow. I only got about 3/4 cup, the recipe said to add 1 to 2 Tbsp of water if necessary but i ended up adding a quarter cup.

I was a bit concerned about the fuzz, for lack of a better word, on the top. Usually when my Mom makes jam, she skims it off, so I tried my best to do that as well.

Delicious, somewhat nutritious and i can't wait to dig in. Now, time to get my ingredients together for pancakes and off to bed!

Have a good night, everyone!!