BETTER *Spicier* Pumpkin Spice Syrup
Last January, I first tried my hand at making pumpkin spice syrup, a la Starbucks, at home. It was OK. My two issues were #1 - the spices were too gritty in my chai lattés, and #2 - it wasn't spicy enough, (lots of grit, but not enough *zing!*) I want the spicy tingle (not heat, per se, but...yeah, *zing*) to last on my palate for awhile after I've swallowed. It happens at Starbucks!!!
I broke down today and tried once more to make pumpkin spice syrup at home. So many online recipes are exactly the same...and don't measure up to what I want. How could I make a better one than the top 20 google search results?
I started here and modified...
Ingredients:
•3/4 cup honey [changed from granulated sugar]
•3/4 cup water
•3 whole cinnamon sticks
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon [upped from 1/2 tsp]
•7 whole cloves
•7 whole allspice
•1/4 teaspoon [freshly] ground nutmeg
•8 slices of *fresh* ginger [changed from 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger]
•2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
•1 teaspoon vanilla [or 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise]
•1 dash of cayenne [my own addition!]
Directions:
•Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
•Stirring occasionally, allow the mixture to come to a boil.
•Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
•Strain into a clean jar through a fine mesh sieve.
•Store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 2 months.
I am convinced the vanilla, my honey, fresh ginger, and dash of cayenne are what make this one-of-the-million-recipes come as close to Sbux as I've gotten. Using more whole spices also helped cut down on the grit. Yay for pairing it with my Café Escapes Chai Latté K-Cups!
I broke down today and tried once more to make pumpkin spice syrup at home. So many online recipes are exactly the same...and don't measure up to what I want. How could I make a better one than the top 20 google search results?
I started here and modified...
Ingredients:
•3/4 cup honey [changed from granulated sugar]
•3/4 cup water
•3 whole cinnamon sticks
•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon [upped from 1/2 tsp]
•7 whole cloves
•7 whole allspice
•1/4 teaspoon [freshly] ground nutmeg
•8 slices of *fresh* ginger [changed from 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger]
•2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
•1 teaspoon vanilla [or 1 whole vanilla bean, split lengthwise]
•1 dash of cayenne [my own addition!]
Directions:
•Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and place over medium heat.
•Stirring occasionally, allow the mixture to come to a boil.
•Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
•Strain into a clean jar through a fine mesh sieve.
•Store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 2 months.
I am convinced the vanilla, my honey, fresh ginger, and dash of cayenne are what make this one-of-the-million-recipes come as close to Sbux as I've gotten. Using more whole spices also helped cut down on the grit. Yay for pairing it with my Café Escapes Chai Latté K-Cups!
I'd love to actually use a vanilla bean!
ReplyDeleteMe, too!!! I'm definitely more pleased with this version than any other [...but I won't say that it will *completely* replace Sbux. ;-)]
ReplyDelete