Introduction
Today I'm making some homemade syrup to use as a liquid sweetener. I had accidentally bought some seeded grapes, so I'll separate them into pulp and juice. Then, I'll boil down the juice into a syrup, until it's about the consistency of honey.
This will also work with any storebought or fresh squeezed juice; just boil until all the water has cooked off, and the sweet syrup remains. You can use this in your baking in place of honey or maple syrup to give a slightly fruity tasted to your baked goods.
Separating the Juice
In a food processor, add all your grapes; I had about 780 g. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. Then, using a fine mesh strainer, strain the liquid into a medium pot, leaving behind the pulp. Scrape the sides of the strainer with a wooden spoon to get as much juice out as possible. I ended up with about 502 g of grape juice, and 206 g of grape pulp (meaning I had about 72 g of loss in the strainer and food processor).
This pulp is all grape skins and seeds, which are both perfectly safe to eat. I would assume that this is where all the nutrition lies, with the fiber of the skin and healthy fats of the seeds. I'll mixing this into my morning yougrt; the little bit of crunch mixed in with everything is a very nice texture, plus it adds some mild sweetness. It's essentially a non-cooked unsweetened jam.
Making the Syrup
In the medium pot over medium heat, bring the juice to a boil. Let it boil with occasional stirring until it has cooked down to a syrup, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. I ended up with about 80 g of fruit syrup.
Using the Syrup
Finally, it's time to use our hard earned sweetener. I'll be making my Protein Brownie Bars, and use this 80 g (about 4 tbsp) as my sweetener in place of the honey or liquid stevia. I simply just added the sweetener into the batter, blended it in, and baked as normal.
Nutritional Info (1 tbsp, 20 g)
Sources
Today I'm making some homemade syrup to use as a liquid sweetener. I had accidentally bought some seeded grapes, so I'll separate them into pulp and juice. Then, I'll boil down the juice into a syrup, until it's about the consistency of honey.
This will also work with any storebought or fresh squeezed juice; just boil until all the water has cooked off, and the sweet syrup remains. You can use this in your baking in place of honey or maple syrup to give a slightly fruity tasted to your baked goods.
Separating the Juice
In a food processor, add all your grapes; I had about 780 g. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. Then, using a fine mesh strainer, strain the liquid into a medium pot, leaving behind the pulp. Scrape the sides of the strainer with a wooden spoon to get as much juice out as possible. I ended up with about 502 g of grape juice, and 206 g of grape pulp (meaning I had about 72 g of loss in the strainer and food processor).
This pulp is all grape skins and seeds, which are both perfectly safe to eat. I would assume that this is where all the nutrition lies, with the fiber of the skin and healthy fats of the seeds. I'll mixing this into my morning yougrt; the little bit of crunch mixed in with everything is a very nice texture, plus it adds some mild sweetness. It's essentially a non-cooked unsweetened jam.
Making the Syrup
In the medium pot over medium heat, bring the juice to a boil. Let it boil with occasional stirring until it has cooked down to a syrup, about 20-30 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. I ended up with about 80 g of fruit syrup.
Using the Syrup
Finally, it's time to use our hard earned sweetener. I'll be making my Protein Brownie Bars, and use this 80 g (about 4 tbsp) as my sweetener in place of the honey or liquid stevia. I simply just added the sweetener into the batter, blended it in, and baked as normal.
Nutritional Info (1 tbsp, 20 g)
| Nutrient | Fruit Syrup |
Honey | Maple Syrup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 83 | 61 | 52 |
| Sugar | 17.9 g | 16.4 g | 12.1 g |
Sources
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