Recipe – Pumpkin Spice Syrup to Sweeten Your Autumn Isolation

I’m going to be perfectly honest, when my province went into a state of emergency back in March, I couldn’t have fathomed it lasting this long. To my surprise, summer came and went, and then the first orange leaf floated to the pavement in my backyard.

It was bittersweet. Bitter, because I realized we had lost an entire season to a terrible pandemic, sweet because autumn is my favourite time of year. I immediately thought to myself, “time means nothing,” and pulled out my Halloween decorations. The first item I displayed was my Happy Pumpkin Spice Season sign.

As much as I love pumpkin spice flavoured… anything… I will say it’s often too sweet, and always too pricey — festive autumn treats should not be elitist! Pumpkin spice is a right, not a privilege!

Okay, that was hyperbolic, but you get my point.

DIY pumpkin spice is much more economical, and comes with the added benefit of being able to customize it to your own pallet. Last season, I posted a recipe for DIY pumpkin spice coffee, which included directions for a simple sugar/sweetener-free pumpkin spice seasoning (now updated to include cloves, which I now realize is KEY). Recently, I decided to sweeten the pot, if you’ll excuse my pun, by creating a pumpkin spice syrup which can be added to pretty much anything.

Cozy up by adding it to your coffee or tea (I’d recommend a roobios or chai)

Or, for something a little more refreshing, pumpkin spice soda! Just add a couple teaspoons to carbonated water (I use my soda stream to carbonate my tap water, but Perrier or other brands would work too), and watch it fizz with aumtumn-y goodness.

Not to mention the many boozy cocktails I’m sure you could pull off. And, of course, I can’t wait to try pouring it over pancakes 🙂

So, let’s dive in…

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Pumpkin Spice Seasoning (store bought or my recipe):
  • 5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cloves
  • Note: Like most pumpkin spice blends, it does not include pumpkin, but rather the flavours used to season pumpkin pie. Hmm… I guess it should be called an Autumn Spice Blend
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup water

Steps:

1. Combine seasoning and sugar
2. Combine the seasoned sugar with water in a pot
3. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved
4. Remove from heat and cool
5. Store in airtight container (mason jars are great)

Keep it refrigerated, and autumn-ize as many drinks and snacks as your pumpkin-spiced heart desires. After all, you’re stuck inside. Might as well enjoy it.

Stay Safe!