Syrup companies have caught onto the idea of sugar-free flavoring syrups, recognizing their attractiveness to consumers who are either diabetic or trying to watch their weight. Often sweetened with a sugar substitute, the syrups come in flavors such as vanilla, hazelnut, raspberry, coconut, chocolate, caramel and almond for sweetening brewed coffee, baked goods, ice creams and specialty espresso drinks. Making your own syrup allows you to experiment with flavors and recipes any way you choose.
Heat 1 cup of sugar-free, fruit-based jam or preserves with 1/4 cup water.
Heat over low heat and whisk together to allow water to thin out the jam.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Use cocoa for chocolate syrup. For a smooth chocolate syrup, heat 1/2 cup cocoa, 1 1/4 cups cold water and 1/4 tsp. salt in a saucepan.
After bringing to a boil, simmer on low and stir for three minutes.
Remove syrup from heat and stir for 10 minutes before adding artificial sweetener (equivalent to 1/2 cup of sugar, based on the sweetener's guide) and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract.
Stir well until syrup is smooth.
Make a basic syrup. For a simple, sugar-free sugar syrup, stir the artificial sweetening equivalent of 1 cup of sugar briskly into 1 cup of boiling water until dissolved.
Allow the syrup to cool before straining the syrup through a coffee filter to get rid of any undissolved particles.
For a flavored syrup, simmer 1 tbsp. of fruit juice, minced ginger or crushed cinnamon sticks with the sucralose and water during cooking. Alternatively, add 1 tsp. of flavor extract during cooling. Extracts such as peppermint, almond, vanilla and lemon are just some potential flavor profiles for sugar-free syrups.