DIY Apple Cinnamon Syrup {From Fruit Peels & Cores!}

"During the late summer when Mother dried apples for her winter cooking the children were always on hand to help with the paring and to speak for the long curls of peeling and the cores. Each child received his or her core, carefully gnawed off all of the good part, and then counted up the seeds. The lucky one who had the most seeds at the end of the day was entitled to a whole apple of his own. There were other things to do with the apple seeds and peelings, too..."

~ Carol Ryrie Brink, Magical Melons

The following recipe is an excerpt from our Ebook, 100+ DIY Projects to Make with Fruit Scraps. It is from the chapter "The Kitchen Table", which features a selection of products and foodstuffs to broaden your menus frugally. When making apple pies, sauces and cakes, you are left with a mound of peels and cores. With this recipe, you can now prepare something special for pennies for your family! Pour this fruit flavored syrup over pancakes, waffles, French toast, yogurt and ice-cream. Though it does have sugar, it is a healthier alternative to the high-fructose-corn-syrup versions they sell in the market. 

Ingredients:

• apple peels and/ or cores
• cinnamon (1/8 tsp. per cup of measured liquid)
• sugar
• water
• fresh or bottled lemon juice or home-canned (1 tsp. per cup of measured liquid)

Place apple peels and cores in a sauce pan. Add enough water to cover the scraps and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes (or until fruit pieces are mushy). Strain mixture (discard the fruit scraps) and measure out the remaining liquid (it is easier if you strain the syrup directly into a large glass heatproof measuring cup). Return strained liquid to sauce pan and add half the amount of sugar as there is liquid (for instance, if you have 4 cups of liquid, add 2 cups of sugar). Add the lemon juice (1 tsp. per cup of measured liquid) and cinnamon (1/8 tsp. per cup of measured liquid). Bring liquid back to a boil and continue to boil until syrup reaches desired consistency (or until a candy thermometer reaches approximately 218 degrees Fahrenheit--do not go over this temperature). Once the syrup has cooled, pour into a clean glass jar or bottle and store in the refrigerator.

Shelf Life: Approx. 2 - 3 months

Suggested Use: Use like you would any pancake syrup (pour over pancakes, waffles, French toast, yogurt and ice-cream).

If you enjoyed this recipe, we share 100+ more ideas on how to use up fruit scraps in our Ebook here! Happy kitchen-crafting, ladies!

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