This post may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy for details.
There is NO other recipe that I get asked for more than my Nana’s brown sugar syrup, which is what we use as our homemade waffle or pancake syrup. This homemade syrup recipe is made with brown sugar, butter and makes 2 cups of syrup in a jiffy!
Just like I did, my kids grew up using this instead of store bought syrup and they prefer it to all else. We use it on my homemade pancakes, my Belgian waffles and just plain classic waffles as well.
Brown sugar syrup is a life saver
I am writing this on a Saturday morning as I look at the snow that has been drifting down since last night here in Edmonton with our first real big snowfall. It reminds me that it’s these times when no one wants (or should!) to head to the store on icy, snowy roads for a bottle of pancake syrup.
I grew up in the country, meaning that if we wanted syrup it was going to be homemade unless we had some in the pantry. I don’t even recall ever using bottled syrup as a kid, because who doesn’t always have butter and brown sugar in the house? Most store bought syrups have that artificial flavor to them that I’m not used to after growing up eating this buttery brown sugar syrup,
My recipe card is pretty beaten up, so I decided that it was time to write up the recipe here on The Kitchen Magpie so that I don’t lose it, though really I do have it memorized by heart at this point.
Brown sugar syrup ingredients
This is SO simple and I can guarantee that you will almost always have the ingredients in your pantry.Not only that, it only takes about five minutes to make which means that if you have a family waiting for their pancake syrup you can whip this up in no time at all. There is a reason that this recipe has been used by the cooks in my family for generations now.
- brown sugar
- butter
- water
- cornstarch
How to make brown sugar syrup
it really doesn’t get easier than this recipe. The main thing that you want to remember is that you are caramelizing the brown sugar and the salted butter. You’re going to cook it until it almost looks like toffee candy. However, when it reaches this point the water is going to spit when you added to the pot. It’s just how it goes and you’re going to have to watch out for that. My sister and I have learned you just pour the water from a safe distance away and jump back if it starts to spit.
If you want to avoid this don’t cook the brown sugar and butter until it looks like a toffee, simply just cook them until they’re combined but you are going to miss out on that almost burnt brown sugar taste makes this so good.
Happy cooking everyone! I hope you love this recipe and use it over and over again!
Love,
Karlynn
PIN THIS RECIPE to your BREAKFAST RECIPES Boards and Remember to FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST!
Thanks to ads on this website, readers of The Kitchen Magpie are now sponsoring 2 families a month through the Edmonton Food Bank. Learn how you can help here.
Learn to cook like the Kitchen Magpie
Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky
A Modern Baker’s Guide to Old-Fashioned Desserts
The Prairie Table
Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together
Subscribe to The Kitchen Magpie on YouTube
One click and you'll get notified of new videos added to our YouTube account!
Subscribe on YouTube
Buttery Brown Sugar Syrup
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes
- Course
- Breakfast
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 8
- Calories
- 135
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup salted butter
- 1 3/4 cups boiling water
- Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- Combine the sugar and butter in a medium sized saucepan. Melt on medium heat, then bring to a bubbling boil, letting the sugar darken somewhat. Do not boil until it's hard candy however.
- Once the butter and sugar have started bubbling, let boil for another 2-3 minutes, then slowly and carefully pour in the hot water. It most likely WILL SPIT so be careful!
- Stir together and bring to a boil again.
- To thicken, combine the cornstarch and cold water, then whisk into the boiling brown sugar mixture. Cook until it thickens up slightly then remove from the heat.
- Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
- You can easily double this recipe if you are feeding a large crowd in the mornings.
- This will keep in your refrigerator for a solid 4-5 days, just simply reheat and stir and it will all come together again
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Made this recipe?
Share a photo of what you made on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thekitchenmagpie or hashtag it #thekitchenmagpie.
Please rate this recipe in the comments below to help out your fellow cooks!
Leave a Comment or Recipe Tip