CSID-Friendly Blueberry Syrup

DISCLAIMER: This recipe is intended to be a sucrose-free recipe.
This syrup is NOT low calorie or sugar-free.
Please use caution when adding a new food to a special or restricted diet.
What works for my family may not work for yours.

There isn't really much backstory to this recipe. Yesterday the boys woke up and wanted waffles for breakfast and I didn't have any other plans so I said okay. I must have been dreaming about IHOP or something, because I suddenly was taken with the idea of making a blueberry syrup to go along with their waffles. So I plugged in my waffle iron and got to work.

Syrups aren't that hard to make, and I decided to start with a simple syrup of 2 parts dextrose and 1 part water. To that I added some frozen blueberries and started cooking them. A few minutes in I realized I needed some interfering agent in their to prevent crystallization. Typically syrup recipes use corn syrup, but I wanted this to be completely CSID-friendly so I used honey.

As the syrup came to a boil I pulled out the blueberries to puree them and to preserve their flavor. I couldn't do that earlier because they were still frozen and I didn't want to break out the food processor so early in the morning—with hot berries I could just use my much-quieter stick blender. The syrup was still a little thin, so I let it just sit there are boil for a few minutes while I started the waffle batter. By the way, the waffles pictured at the top of this post are from my recent post, Coconut Flour Waffles/Pancakes, Revisited. You should check it out.

Anywho, once the syrup was thick enough (read: when I remembered to check on it and was happy it hadn't burned), I added back the blueberry puree and some salt to cut the sweetness. The boys and I tasted it, and while it was good, it lacked dimension, so I added some lemon juice and a little vanilla.

PERFECTION!!! Okay, maybe not perfection, but it was really good considering I don't like blueberries. It was pretty thin while hot, but I figured it would thicken as it cooled. The boys loved it and it was a great compliment to the waffles.

Because we didn't boil the berries for long the flavor is still fresh and light, and the lemon and vanilla add depth and brightness. It's sweet without being cloying—a wonderful alternative to plain-old maple syrup. Enjoy!!!

—Sam

Skip the tutorial and go straight to the recipe.

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Step 1:

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup frozen blueberries, 1 cup dextrose, 2 Tbsp honey, and 1/2 cup water.
Do you have to use frozen blueberries? Well, no, but unlike fresh blueberries, frozen berries are available all year round for a relatively stable price.
If you are making this syrup for a non-CSIDer, feel free to substitute the dextrose for sugar and the honey for corn syrup. By the way, the honey is in the recipe to prevent potential crystallization of the syrup during storage.

Step 2:

Turn the pan on medium/medium high heat and bring the mixture to the boil.

Step 3:

When the mixture comes to a boil remove the blueberries and place them in another cup/bowl/container. Continue to boil the syrup for 5 minutes.
Use a food processor or stick blender to puree the blueberries. Set them aside until a later step.
The reason for removing the berries once the mixture boils is to preserve the flavor of the blueberries. If we just let them boil in the syrup until it was thick enough, the final product wouldn't taste as fresh.

Step 4:

When the five minutes are up, return the pureed berries to the syrup and stir in 1/4 tsp salt and 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice.
Return the mixture to a boil before removing from the heat. Stir in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
Transfer to a mason jar or squeeze bottle. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to two weeks.
The salt and lemon juice are in the recipe to cut the sweetness and brighten the syrup. The acid in the lemon juice will also help preserve the color of the blueberries if your water is a little alkaline.

Blueberry Syrup—Yields: 1 1/2 cups syrup

Volume Weight

Syrup Ingredients

Stage 1 Ingredients	Stage 2 Ingredients

1. In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, dextrose, honey, and water.
2. Put the pan over medium to medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
3. When the mixture boils, remove the blueberries to another container and puree them. Continue to boil the syrup for 5 minutes.
4. After the syrup has boiled for 5 minutes, stir in the blueberry puree, salt, and lemon juice.
5. Return the mixture to a boil before removing from the heat and stirring in the vanilla extract.

This recipe was printed from Dinner in the Life of a Dad (samslaugh.blogspot.com)

CSID-Friendly Blueberry Syrup 1 1/2 cups Syrup Easy syrup with a fresh blueberry flavor and a hint of lemon and vanilla. 1 cup frozen Blueberries 1 cup Dextrose 2 Tbsp Honey 1/2 cup Water 1/4 tsp Salt 1-2 Tbsp Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract