I adore giving food as gifts. Too many of us have too much “stuff” as it is, but something yummy and homemade? That always goes over well. I try to do something different each year, though I have my favorites. This year, I decided to go seasonal in my colors. Instead of my usual chocolate via Homemade Truffles or Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn, I found a great way to incorporate red by making a cherry syrup.
No one has to know that this syrup takes under an hour to pull together start to finish. No one needs to know that I sneak an extra jar or two for myself. Instead, all they see is a gorgeous jar filled with something they most likely would never make themselves. Part of what makes it perfect is how versatile the syrup is. Because it isn’t super thick, it’s not just great to use as a topping for pancakes or waffles. As yummy as it is over ice cream, there is still a better use for it in my oh so humble opinion.
Pair a jar of this with a little bottle of champagne for someone special in your life, and you have a friend forever. The syrup pairs perfectly to make a cherry bellini. Just place an inch or so in the bottom of your flute and top with champagne.
Or if your friend or family don’t drink, this is great in seltzer or sparkling water to make your own cherry soda. You could even add it to Coke to make a homemade cherry Coke. If you were so inclined…
A single recipe makes about four cups of the syrup, but it doubles or more easily if you’re making a bunch of it for teacher gifts or as hostess gifts. Because this isn’t truly canned, you do need to keep it in the fridge, but if you substitute pectin for the cornstarch, you could easily can it if you were so inclined.
Watching the cherries go from what I pulled from the freezer to a beautiful dark mass slowly bubbling and turning into what I knew was going to be an amazing treat made me smile.
I did mention that this was completely low maintenance and quick to make, right?
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Thanks, Michelle! Love this! My kids love cherry limeades, and I love ice cream with cherry sauce – so this is a total win! If y’all haven’t met Michelle yet, y’all should start with her Brownie Cupcakes and go from there.
Homemade Cherry Syrup
Ingredients
- 4 c cherries frozen work great, especially if you can get a blend of types
- 3/4 c sugar
- 1/2 t cinnamon
- 1/8 t fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/2 t salt
- 2 T cornstarch
- 1 c water
Instructions
- Be sure your cherries are pitted. If you're using frozen ones, you should be good to go.
- Add cherries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and water to a heavy saucepan and turn the heat to medium. As the sugar dissolves, stir gently to ensure it's all combined.
- Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes until reduced somewhat.
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and a little cold water, using a fork to combine and ensure there are no lumps. Add the slurry to your syrup and stir again to incorporate. Cook another five or so minutes until the syrup is thickened a bit, just so that it coats a spoon instead of sliding straight off.
- I have no desire or interest in mashing the cherries that remain in the syrup or in straining them out. I find they add a marvelous texture and flavor, and I don’t want to lose that. The fact that it saves me a step or two? That’s just a bonus.
- Pour immediately into clean jars and seal. Once they've cooled, place them in your fridge. You can store them in the fridge for a few weeks, but I don't expect that they'll last any longer at your house than they did at mine.
Oh my… mixing this with champagne… my man might just fall over if I present this to him on Christmas morning for brunch. He. loves. cherries!
Thank you for posting. You make me miss Texas (my home state) all the more!
Homemade gifts are truly the best. This turned out so gorgeous and I love the idea of making a homemade soda with it!
I love simple recipes like this! Perfect for last minute parties. Thanks!
(And my husband and I have a Ninja and adore it!)
oh wow, this is the perfect stocking gift for my mum, especially if i pair it with a mini bottle of bubbly! thank you! xxx
OK, thanks for the recipe, but…what on earth is going on with the half teaspoon of SALT? I made this, used the salt, thinking, “I guess you don’t taste it in the finished project, and it helps keep it from spoiling so quickly,” but you REALLY do taste the salt. Is that a typo?
If I can this in a water bath will it last longer in storage?
I am not a canner – I only “fake” can like this an keep things in my fridge. I know there are rules about what makes canning work and not work in a water bath, but I am not familiar enough with those rules to tell you definitively yes or no on that one. I will say that I made this and “forgot” about an extra jar I’d made and pulled it out of my fridge almost three months after making it, and it was completely fine. I wish I had a better answer for you!
I am from Texas too and darn proud of it. And I am hopelessly in love with cherries too. I was making drinks for me and my hubby and wanted to find a cherry syrup recipe that wasn’t too complex or drawn out. And your post was 4th on Google and your a Texan. So I thought what the heck I’ll give it a go after all, I’d trust a fellow Texan before I would someone else. Especially when it comes to homemade food. I guess you could say I am biased….but at least I’m honest. Thank you so very much for posting and sharing. This is one fellow Texan that will grab a index card and write your recipe down and proudly place it in my recipe box.
So when I write at the top of my recipe card of who the cook is that I got the recipe from…..is it Rachel or Michelle and can I have a last name initial…?? Because just putting Michelle well that could be any Michelle in the U.S. and to me and all these other fine ladies on here think your more than a just plain ol Michelle….LOL !!!
Again Thank you,
“Happy Crafting & Cooking”
Dianne McGee
Hi. I have already boiled my cherries and strained the fruit out. How much sugar per cup of juice should I use to make a nice tasting , not too sweet syrup? I think my mom used 2 cups of juice to l cup of sugar but that sounds so sweet. Please help.