recipe: brown sugar syrup
august 29, 2024
the fall semester has started. i'm beginning the second year of my master's program, and teaching for the first time. i'm excited but also a little anxious, so before the semester started, i cooked up a batch of this syrup. one of my comfort foods is brown sugar milk tea, and having a jar of brown sugar syrup in the fridge makes it way easier to prepare a cup.
you'll need:
- 1 cup water
- 1.5 cups packed light brown sugar - anything you can get cheap at the grocery store is fine
- optional: vanilla extract - i find that adding a splash of this (about 1-2 tsp) adds a certain mellow flavor to the syrup that elevates the experience overall
all you need to do is add the sugar and water to a small pot and heat it on medium-low on the stovetop until it comes to a simmer and the sugar dissolves completely. stir every so often to disperse the heat evenly. if you do use vanilla extract, add the extract once the sugar is mostly dissolved and the water is hot, and stir 'til the mixture simmers to incorporate the extract.
cover the pot of syrup and allow it to cool down for an hour or so? allowing it to cool is mostly for safety, since i store the finished syrup in a glass mason jar in the fridge.
you can use this to sweeten any drink, hot or cold. i like adding a bit to tea, but it's also nice with coffee or drizzled over ice cream. simple syrups are typically a 1:1 mix of sugar and water, but i add a bit more sugar to add some thickness to it once it's finished; personally, i notice a slight difference in mouthfeel when i add this to drinks, and enjoy it, but you can also make this as a 1:1 simple syrup.