Sweet maple syrup flavored with fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and a pinch of cinnamon.

Orange Maple Syrup from www.themessybakerblog.com

I’m back!

I decided I needed a break, so I took off the week of Thanksgiving to relax and spend some much needed time with Squirrel and my family. I hope all of you had a lovely Thanksgiving feast and stuffed yourself until your stretchy pants couldn’t stretch one stitch more.

I spent the week preparing for our feast, sipping wine, baking cookies, and decorating for Christmas. My little brother and I convinced my parents to buy us a “for reals” tree this year. I may not live with my parents, but I’m still a kid at heart. I even make my mom stuff a stocking for me. Each year she tries to get out of doing it, but I whine until I get my way. I’m evil (and spoiled).

I may not have posted anything last week, but I still spent a significant amount of time in the kitchen. Since the gift-giving season is upon us, I decided to create some recipes that make great gifts. Everyone loves food, so why not wrap it up and give it away as gifts during the holidays?

This orange-maple syrup is perfect for gifting.

Orange Maple Syrup from www.themessybakerblog.com

This recipe is extremely simple to throw together. It comes together in 5 minutes. All you’ll need for this recipe is a pot and a whisk.

Combine the maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and simmer until the syrup thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Take the syrup off the stove and allow the it to come to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla extract and pour the mixture into an 8-ounce (pint-size) mason jar. Slap a bow on it and it’s ready to be gifted.

Orange Maple Syrup from www.themessybakerblog.com

The sweet syrup has lovely orange flavor with a hint of spicy cinnamon in the background.

Orange Maple Syrup from www.themessybakerblog.com

Drizzle on pancakes, waffles, or french toast. Swirl it into coffee, tea, or your morning oatmeal. Glaze homemade donuts, cinnamon rolls, scones, or muffins.

Your friends and family will love you forever if you give them the gift of syrup.

Orange Maple Syrup

Sweet maple syrup flavored with fresh squeezed orange juice, orange zest, and a pinch of cinnamon.

Ingredients:

1 cup Grade A maple syrup

1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1 tablespoon brown sugar

pinch cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small saucepan, bring the maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a gentle boil over medium-low heat. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Whisk in the vanilla syrup. Pour the mixture into an 8-ounce mason jar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

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