Brown Sugar & Spice Coffee Syrup Recipe (4 Ingredients, 5 Minutes) by Donna John

New to the coffee world, I am trying all sorts of coffee creamers, flavorings and syrups for my cup of joe and lattes. On a trip to visit my daughter in California, we found ourselves at a wonderful spice shop in Oxbow Public Market. We walked away with bags of aromatic spices and spice blends. One spice the shop owner recommended was black cardamom pods – and he suggested using it for a homemade coffee syrup.

This easy brown sugar and spice coffee syrup recipe was beyond easy to make. In less than five minutes, I had a mason jar of sweet, spicy, aromatic coffee syrup ready to be drizzled into my morning lattes.

To make this homemade coffee flavoring you will need four ingredients and some water. Here is your shopping list: brown sugar, cardamom pods, star anise and a cinnamon stick. The ingredients are heated in a saucepot until the sugar melts. Pour the syrup into a mason jar or other container and it is ready for your coffee.

Not only is this spiced syrup wonderful in hot coffee and iced coffee, but you could also drizzle it over desserts (think ice cream, bread pudding, cakes) or use it in cocktails. The syrup would also be delicious for breakfast or brunch over pancakes, waffles or biscuits.

If you like this recipe, check out my homemade coffee creamer recipe.

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 20 (makes about 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 5 cardamom pods
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick

Recipe Notes

• You can skip the step of straining the syrup if you'd like. Straining does ensure there's no particles from the spices floating around.
  

• For some spice, sprinkle in some ground cayenne.

• We were told by the spice expert at the shop that the difference between green cardamom and black cardamom is the flavor. Green cardamom is said to taste like eucalyptus, while black cardamom has a smoky flavor. I used black cardamom pods.
  

• Store the syrup in a mason jar or airtight container in the fridge. 

Here's how to make it: 

1. Put all the ingredients into a saucepot.
   
2. Heat the ingredients, stirring.
   
3. Heat until the sugar has fully dissolved. Turn off the heat and let it steep for as long as you'd like. (If you're leaving the spices in the syrup, you can skip the waiting.)
   
4. Pour the syrup through a mesh strainer into a mason jar or airtight container.
   
5. You can either discard the spices or put them into the jar.
   
6. Cool, then store in the refrigerator.
   

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