The "rule of thumb" when making syrup is twice as much sugar as water, bit of salt, some butter....simmer until all is melted then a couple of minutes longer....and add some real maple flavoring...if that's what you like.
Translated...1 1'2 cups sugar ( brown is best for me)
3/4 cups water
2 or 3 T. butter
Generous pinch of salt...
simmer all together for about 3 or 4 minutes and cool a little....add a teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 tsp maple flavoring.
BUT....kyro syrup....corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup.....so you can use dark Kyro with a bit of butter and maple flavoring added.....and don't forget about other good stuff like sorghum and honey and agave....

Ah... thanks for the explanation Linda. I made a mistake of purchasing a store brand corn syrup. Unlike the Karo brand, this store brand had high fructose corn syrup. I didn't think of looking at the ingredients when I purchased it. I'm going to get some Karo brand corn syrup next time.

In the mean time, is there something I can fix with the current pancake syrup I made? I used less brown sugar than your recipe called for and it's still super sweet for me.

1. Use less. I put about 1 tablespoon of maple syrup into a small shallow porcelain condiment cup and dip whatever we are eating into it rather than drowning our food with it.

2. Use your homemade syrup in combination with some fresh or cooked fruit for topping your pancakes/waffles/French Toast.

3. Sweeten a pitcher of fresh lemonade or limeade with it.

-Grainlady

I'll second some of what Grainlady said. I dillute syrup with crushed fruit or applesauce, or bananas. Peaches and strawberries and blueberries all work well. Or serve your pancakes with some plain yogurt mixed with the syrup. I have some corn syrup, but I just do not like the mouth feel of it, even the non high fructose stuff. But the high fructose stuff is the WORST in terms of texture for me. I have used a product called "Lyle's Golden Syrup" which I got by mistake once because I thought it was corn syrup. It is a sugar based syrup. If is wicked sweet though, but you could mix it with real maple syrup. Also a bit or orance juice or oranges or orange peel cuts the sweet. Melted butter too. You can make a great sauce with butter, your syrup, some orange pulp and peel and pecans.

I have not tried this but, try adding a bit of vinegar into the syrup.

I balance my recipes with combo of salt/soya sauce/fish sauce, acid/vinegar/lemon/lime and a sweetner/honey/fruit; whatever the recipes need.
So, I would think that the acid/vinegar may help.

Just try removing some of the too sweet syrup (1/8 of a cup) and add a bit of lemon extract (by the drop) to it, and see if my theory works?

ntt_hou

I have been using Karo Pancake and Waffle Syrup for 70 years but everyone says it is bad for you.

It is not the same as the regular Karo.

Wish I knew what it is supposed to do to you.

I also have Maple Syrup on hand but like the flavor of the Karo , over the Syrup, which to me has a medicine taste.

Also it is much thicker. I do not like soggy Waffles or Pancakes.

This is just my tastes, you may or may not like it.

If you can not find it in your Supermarket and
like to try it, I will send you a bottle.

Lou

Lou, I've seen the Karo Pancake Syrup but have not tried it.

As long as I've lived in the US (35+ yrs.), I still cannot get used to the sweet tooth that Americans have. Just about everything that has sugar in it,(desserts, pastries, cream, sauces, etc.), has way too much sugar content than what we, foreigners, are used to, well for most of us anyhow.

Sorry but even dipping is still too sweet for me! Probably because it's a thick sauce and the sweet taste does not even out well within its bite.

I just came to realize that pancake syrup is an American sauce and it's supposed to be as sweet as it meant to be. If I want to alter this recipe to suite my taste, I really need to think outside the box.

Thanks everyone for your feedbacks.

I don't mean to put down Americans' taste or discriminate anyone here. I'm just trying to catagorize taste of different regions. Basically, "to each his own".

For example, my country cuisine is basically sorted out in 3 basic taste. These are the 3 regions of North, Central and South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese cuisine tends to lean more toward a salty taste. The Central cuisine leans toward spicy (hot) and the South cuisine leans toward the sweet taste. It's funny but a taste of the simple sweet and sour fish soup (Canh Chua Ca) can actually determine whether the cook/chef is from North, Central or South of Vietnam.

htt hou-

Have you ever dusted your pancakes/waffles/French Toast with powdered sugar (or powdered sugar and cinnamon) instead of using syrup? Another favorite of ours is a sprinkle of granulated maple sugar. It takes so little to achieve that shot of sweetness on your tongue associated with syrup-drenched pancakes/waffles/French Toast.

When our kids were little I would drizzle a little syrup over the top of the pancake just before flipping it. I'd write their initials, or draw the face of a cat.... The syrup would cook darker than the pancake and prevented a sticky mess from syrup, and was more than enough added "sugar". You might like adding your syrup to the pancake batter, or the batter for your French Toast, instead of pouring it on -- for just that added hint of sweetness or that added maple flavor.

One more suggestion I used with my kids. You can also mix a little syrup with peanut butter and top your pancakes with that mixture. When I used this mixture I would roll it up for a hand-held pancake, or make one for the kid who had to "run and eat" instead of eat and run (LOL).

I forgo making the typical insipid bleached/unbleached flour pancake (commonly used as a sponge for profuse amounts of syrup) and make my pancake mix with freshly-milled spelt, whole wheat, cornmeal and flaxmeal, and a bit of coarsely-milled multi-grain cereal mix (also freshly-milled) for some added "tooth" and texture. It would be a shame to drown these pancakes in syrup.... (LOL) The flavor can easily stand alone or with a sprinkle of granulated maple sugar.

-Grainlady

ntt_hou:
I think you are hopeless, LOL!!! but I will try to help.

Maybe that is the reason I use Karo, it tastes less sweet to me.

***************************

How about trying fruit as a topping for Pancakes.

If you like Peaches for instance.

Simmer some until tender and put them in a Blender.
Add whatever juice; you like , to taste.

Add some water, to the sweetness you like.

Thicken with xanthan gum or gar gum. You may also be able to use some jello instant pudding.

Enjoy life, live dangerous !!!

I have some frozen Blueberries, think I will make some for breakfast.

LOU

nt_hou

I made a small batch with the Blueberries but put only half in the blender,
so I would have some larger pieces.

I added a cup of Cranberry Apple juice, plus 4 tablespoons of Jello - Cherry Gelatin mix.

Simmered it for a couple minutes.

It is now in the refrigerator.

Only problem is I did not have any Waffles in the freezer.
Now I have to make some.
Hou: Lou said " You are a trouble maker ".

*************************************

Your story about the North , Central and South Veitnam
tastes, reminded me of my time cooking in the Army.

We brought in Korean KP's to help in the kitchen.
They always made themselves a batch of Rice for lunch.

I would take a bowl and add some Evaporated milk , Sugar, Cinnamon and Raisens.

They looked at me like I was a Nut Case.

The KP that helped me , tried it and liked it.

Held up his thumb and said " LOU, this number one "
**********************

I wil let you know how blueberries turned out.

LOU

Grainlady, yes, I have tried sprinkle powder sugar over pancake and added syrup into the batter but it's sort of dried and somehow not the right way to experience eating American pancake. It's like pancake without the pan ;o)

LOL! Lou, you're absolutely correct! I am hopeless :o) I want American food but not too American. Come to think of it, you're right about Karo corn syrup. It would make it less sweet and thicken the sauce as well. That's probably what I've been looking for.

After LindaC explanation, I bought a bottle of Karo Light Corn Syrup yesterday. I will try to add Karo and more water to the current syrup. I got some blueberry today and will add to the syrup as well. It sounds yum-yum already.

I love your story of the rice. I gave that same look to my high school friend when she mixed butter and sugar with rice. LOL, I grew fond of this mix ever since!

You know, living in Texas, I learned and love American Southern cooking. My family can't understand why I have so many condiments, so many jars in the fridge. Well, I have some to make VNmese food and some to make Americans/International food. I can't help it, I just love food but can't tolerate too much sweetness. It literally makes me nauseated.

Ntt Hou I am the same way. I love so many different kinds of cuisines that I have half my refrigerator filled up with various condiments, the Chinese ones with a few Thai thrown in for good measure, the Indian ones, the Italian ones, the Mexican ones, the Mediterranean ones, the "American" ones (read extra sweet or bland, lol!)

ntt_hou:

I do not believe all the talk about High Fructose,

especially that it is causing an overweight population in the USA.

I think it has mostly to do with Overeating.

But I am not an expert.

Although many claims have been reversed in the past years.

Maybe the High Fructose statements will be reversed also.

I started to lookup some things on Google, starting with WWW.sweetsurprise.com

*****************************

I do not know about you but I eat Waffles every so often,
so
will it amount to that many calories, if I use what I like.

The blueberries did not turn out to well ( Too thin )

Think I will stay with Peaches.

Cut them up and simmer till tender then add some corn starch, to thicken.

Did I say anything wrong ( corn starch )???

LOU

I've tried to make homemade pancake syrup to avoid high fructose corn syrup. It can be hard to find 100% pure maple syrup. Some stores around where I live don't have any at all. Is there not any in your local stores? There's no way to improve on the real thing.

I don't understand either why every namebrand syrup (or at least the 20 or so brands available last time I did a check) is made from corn and then flavored, usually artificially. They cost nearly as much as the real thing. Rip-off!

Regarding HF corn syrup (and its' cousin, corn starch,) it sounds like you're a label reader, too. You're probably having a hard time finding much of anything in a jar or bottle without this stuff in it. It seems to be the main ingredient now in just about everything, and its' use has exploded. I've been closely reading labels for years and I know this stuff is going into more and more products that did not include this ingredient before. The reason is because it's a cheap filler and just a way to rip people off.

I know when I was a kid the main ingredient in Heinz ketchup was NOT corn syrup. Unless I'm buying a bottle that says "corn syrup" on it, I don't want that stuff. I want jelly in my jelly, buttermilk in my ranch dressing, and juice in my juice. I want tomatoes in my ketchup, eggs in my mayo, and nothing but peanuts is necessary to make peanut butter.

The reason the fat finger of blame is being pointed at this stuff is because it is the most common ingredient at the grocery store. It is a simple carbohydrate which has little nutritional value resulting in the unnecessary ingestion of many empty calories at the expense of the missing nutrition these foods would contain if they were made from the correct ingredients. Do you really want corn syrup all over your salad?

Corn syrup and corn starch only recently became "modified." No, thank you.

Ntt_Hou, you said you bought the light corn syrup. I think the dark Karo is less sweet so next time you might try that one. LOL. Poor gal, you're going to have plenty of choices. Also you mentioned you had tried the dipping and it was too sweet. Have you tried dipping the fork in a little container of the syrup before stabbing the pancake, etc.? That gets a lot less and seems to work pretty good. I do agree that mixing what you made with fruit is a good idea. Even using it as the sugar to make a sort of jam/syrup/topping. Try cutting up an apple or peach and cooking it down with some of the syrup and see what you think. Can't hurt at this point, eh? If it seems good but still too sweet, add some more fruit and try again.

I like the real thing - maple syrup - it is slightly acid which helps balance the sugar. If maple syrup isn't available, I'd rather put fruit or jam on my pancakes.

Don't use syrup that often, but when I do it's 100% Maple. Can be a little pricey, but I don't float pancakes or waffle in it. If I had young kids were around... honestly... I'd probably given them a maple "flavored" syrup. I got slammed for saying something like this on another site... but that's really what I would do.

When one of local supermarkets was going outta business, I waited till stuff was at greatest discount. Store was about half empty but there were TWO quart/liter jugs of pure maple syrup at something like 60-70% off... I bought both of them.

You can also mix real maple half and half with sorghum or corn syrup or sugar syrup type products. Get a grade B syrup for that, since it has much more maple flavor than grade A. Also costs less.

Coconut & Lpink, thanks for your teachings on light/dark Karo and grade A & B maple syrup. I got them backward, I thought light Karo was less sweet and grade A maple was cheaper and more flavor than B.

I haven't opened the Karo bottle, maybe I can get it exchanged. Thanks again to all.

Ntt_Hou, do you like jams,jellies, or preserves? I grew up eating my pancakes that way. In fact the only jelly I would eat, period, was Elderberry. I wouldn't eat syrup of any kind either. You might find that less sweet. We didn't all grow up eating them with syrup in America, so don't think that you HAVE to eat them with syrup! Now, I prefer them with my cousin's maple syrup, made and sold just a few miles from my home in Ohio. Annie and WizardNM have had, I hope, the pleasure of sampling that! He cooks/boils it just until it hits the right temperature in the hygrometer, and it doesn't have as much of a nutty flavor as most 100% maple syrups do. I know that's the key, as we sometimes heat the syrup before eating it. The more times we heat the syrup, the nuttier the flavor becomes.

Hope you can find something you like on them!

Tami

Tami:
By a " nutty flavor " in Maple Syrup , would that be what I referred to as a " medicine taste " ???

I have Pure Maple syrup and Karo Pancake Syrup but use the Karo because of that, " ? taste ", in the Maple Syrup.

Ntt hou:

Why not give Karo Pancake Syrup a try?

LOU

Tami, no, I don't like jam, jelly or preserves made here, in the US. They're extremely sweet for me.

I couple of days ago, I got some fresh strawberries, slided them up and put in a saucepan. I added a pinch of salt and enough sugar to my taste; then, simmered until fruits soften and sugar melted. No water was added. The sauce came out thick enough. I used that over the pancake and it was wonderful!

Lou, I went to Walmart and exchanged the Karo syrup to the dark one. While I was there, I looked up for the Karo Pancake Syrup, Walmart didn't have it. Kroger or local grocery stores may have it but I haven't had the time to make that trip. I think I'm going to stick with the fresh fruits simmered in a bit of sugar, (depending how sweet the fruits are). This stuff seemed to become addicting somehow. I'm going to try it over some bisquits.
too

Lou, that could be what you mean by medicine taste. I just taste a nutty flavor, sometimes stronger than others, and prefer the less nutty.

Ntt_Hou, If that's the way you like your pancakes, that's how you eat them! That's America! Actually, it sounds pretty good to me. Enjoy!

Tami

I saw Bobby Flay doing that last night with blackberries! He added a bit of lemon juice and smashed the berries slightly after it started to simmer.

The recipe is here. Ignore the part about the beignets unless, of course, you want to make them, too.

ntt_hou:

I'll give you an " E " for effort, on exchanging the Regular Karo for Pancake Syrup.

I'm going to try the Chopped Peaches. Simmer until soft and add Corn Starch to thicken.

All the good stuff stays in the recesses in the Waffles.
You just reminded me, I have to make Waffles, Thanks !!!

Lou