We pride ourselves in serving the highest-quality specialty beverages in our Cafés. Our homemade syrups, which include chocolate, vanilla, and lavender, are made using fair trade organic sugar, free from synthetic flavors and preservatives. Recently, one of our customers took inspiration from one of her favorite Kimberton Whole Foods specialties, and was kind enough to share her modified recipe with us.
Kat Romett is a reflexology practitioner, and is a health-conscious mom of two boys. She admits that she “has a serious addiction to iced coffees”, and has recently decided to reduce her sugar intake. After enjoying the homemade vanilla syrup at our Collegeville Café, she tried her hand at making a sugar-free version, using monkfruit. Kat says that this recipes offers “the authentic taste of vanilla in guiltless sugar-free form without the aftertaste [of stevia].” You can find Kat’s original recipe here.
What You’ll Need
- 2 cups monkfruit sweetener
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 tsp lemon juice
- 1 vanilla bean (or try using vanilla bean paste)
Instructions
Add first 3 ingredients to a medium pot over medium-high heat. Boil for about 10 minutes, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Adjust heat as necessary.
Then, add 1 vanilla bean, slit and scraped. (Add the whole pod along with the scraped seeds.) Stir until combined.
You can store this syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Kat suggests that you can also strain the syrup to remove the pods, and any pod pieces that may have broken off, if you like. She says it’s wonderful in iced coffee, baked goods, or anywhere else you need a sweet fix.
After making the syrup, the sugar began to crystallize. I used the granulated Monk Fruit sweetener. Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hello Meg, Here is a note from Kat, who created this recipe: “Simple syrup can be finicky. I would suggest using a little lemon juice, and not to stir it too much. When it’s cooling, don’t stick it in the fridge right away. Also, xylotil is a great replacement.” Hope this helps!
If you are using vanilla bean paste instead of the bean, how much should be used in this recipe? Thank you
We suggest 2-3 tsp in place of 1 full bean.