Easy Blackberry Simple Syrup (10 Minutes)
This is an Easy Blackberry Syrup for coffee, pancakes, ice cream, mocktails, and anything else you decide to slather it on! It takes just 10 minutes to make, and can be prepared with fresh or frozen blackberries at any time of year.
Servings: 1 Cup
Ingredients
- 1 Cup blackberries fresh or frozen
- ¾ Cup sugar or other granulated sweetener
- ¾ Cup water
Instructions
- Put the sugar and water into a small pot over medium-low heat, and stir everything constantly with a silicone spatula until the sweetener has dissolved (less than a minute).
- Then add the blackberries and let everything heat for a minute. Once the berries have warmed, carefully use a potato masher to completely pulverize the berries into the sugar mixture, until it makes a thin puree. If using fresh berries, you may want to add an extra ¼ Cup water to thin out the mixture further. Set a timer for 7 more minutes of simmering on low, and turn off the heat when the timer goes off.
- Immediately move the pot off the heat to a cool burner and let it cool for 30 minutes. Do not cover it; the slight cooling time also lets more of the water evaporate out.
- Once cooled, strain your blackberry syrup through a tea strainer to get out the seeds and pulp, then pour it into a glass jar. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or the freezer for up to 6 months. The seeds and thicker pulp left in the strainer actually make for a delicious topping for pancakes or a thin jam on their own, and will keep for up to a week in the fridge (or 6 months in the freezer).
Notes
Fresh or Frozen Blackberries?: for this recipe I used blackberries we picked on my birthday last summer, frozen for about a year at that point, and it still tastes as good as ever. So while you can use either version in this recipe, consider using organic berries if buying frozen, to limit pesticide exposure. If you'r eusing fresh berries and the mixture is too thick, try adding an extra ¼ cup of water.
How to Thicken: for more thick blackberry syrup for pancakes or waffles, you'll need to use twice as much fruit and an extra ¼ cup of water (or ½ cup if using fresh blackberries for syrup).
This will add more natural fruit pectin to the mixture and decrease the concentrated sweetness. Just be sure to give it a couple of hours in the fridge to fully thicken up before using.
No Potato Masher?: if you don't have a (clean) potato masher on hand, you can also use a large fork to press the berries against the side of the pot, one-by-one. This takes a bit longer, but it gets the job done.