Tuesday's Food Tip: Make Your Own Flavored Pancake Syrups

Special pancakes call for special syrups. Maple syrup is yummy on traditional flapjacks, for example. But a smooth vanilla syrup is much better than maple if you’re serving apple-cinnamon pancakes. And, if chocolate chip pancakes are your favorite, you’ll probably prefer to top them with whipped cream and a little heated chocolate syrup.


It’s easy to make all sorts of flavorful pancake syrups with the new coffee and soda syrups available in supermarkets these days. Hazelnut, vanilla, caramel, raspberry, mocha, black cherry, amaretto, and banana are just a few of the flavors you can try. But any of these syrups by itself is a little too "runny" for pancakes, so combine just a tablespoon or so of your favorite coffee syrup with some light corn syrup and you’ve got a rich and thick topping that’s just right for pancakes or waffles.

My favorite combination is vanilla syrup on a stack of apple-cinnamon pancakes made from a mix from the Three Angels Gourmet Co. Yum.