If you follow my blog, you’ll see that I took a little break. Work got really busy (thank goodness) and I kept forgetting to take time and craft… or take pictures and write about it. Luckily, I decided months ago that I was going to take my whole birthday weekend off since it aligns with Labor Day. Jarod and I decided the best way to celebrate my birthday weekend and the holiday would be yard work, crafts around the house, and a few new recipes. Let me tell you, it’s been a productive and fun weekend!
The recipe that got us started on this celebration train was, not surprisingly, from Tiktok. They were describing a fall drink from Starbucks and how to make it from home. In that recipe, they made their own cinnamon apple syrup. In the back of my head, I knew you could make syrups like this at home… but if I’ve tried it, I don’t remember and this looked DELICIOUS.
To start off, put one cup of brown sugar in a pot with one cup of water. Stir it up and try and dissolve as much as possible. Add the peel of a green apple – I made it a thick peel with a good chunk of the apple still on it – and 2 cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil while stirring consistently. Once it hits a rolling boil, bring it back to a simmer and reduce by half. Strain while warm into a jar and let cool. This should be good in the fridge for about a month, if you don’t eat it first!
We had tried this recipe and enjoyed it in a few cocktails, tea, and even coffee (I can’t wait to get an espresso maker and try it in a latte!). We both agreed that although we really enjoyed it how it was, it would be even better with more apple. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any more apples at the house so we decided to try with oranges. That’s what the picture above is from, since I also forgot to take pictures of the apple version – this is what happens when I am excited for food! In this version, along with the 1C brown sugar and 1C water, I added one orange peel, a couple slices of lemon, a cinnamon stick, and 4 cloves. It was SO yummy I had to hold back from eating it by the spoonful.
So, if you want your home to smell like fall and have a delicious additive to ice cream or drinks, go get a pot an make yourself a syrup! Get creative and tell me your favorite flavors! 😊 As always, if you take any fun pictures or videos, tag me on Instagram @SmileMakePeopleWonder and use the hashtag #DandelionSmiles. Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss out on the next exciting idea!
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