Easy Mixed Berry Syrup

This mixed berry syrup - awesome. My picture skills to show how amazing this is - not so awesome. 

I don't think it was an actual rainy morning when I made these blueberry lemon pancakes, but I was motivated enough to whip up this berry syrup that I've been making since high school rather than just go with regular old maple syrup. The pancakes are nothing special, just a bit of doctored up bisquick with blueberries folded in then hidden under obscene amounts of lush, fresh strawberries.

The syrup however..... Mmmm, let me count the ways in which this is awesome. First - it's bursting with a variety of berry flavors. Second, it's sweetness is not overberrying (get it?) enough that you don't taste the berries. Third, the vanilla adds a delicate aromatic taste and smell that brings the sweetness and berries together. Forth... well I suppose at this point you're just looking for the recipe.

Before I get there, just a tip: if you don't use a frozen berry mix, and you want to use fresh berries, just make sure to not add more than 1/4 cup blueberries as they will overpower the other berry flavors if you do. 

If you want to make a plain blueberry (or strawberry, raspberry, etc) syrup, thats a different story. Just use 1 cup of which every berry you want and you'll end up with a delightfully sweet syrup for you morning meal. Also, if making raspberry syrup, I've found it's best to swap the vanilla for lemon juice. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup frozen or fresh mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are a good mix to start with). 

1 cup water

1 cup powder sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, bring sugar and water to a boil over medium high heat, add berries, return to boil, then adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Let simmer for 12-15 minutes. If you can run your finger on the back of a spoon thats been dipped in the sauce and it leaves a mark, consider it done.

If desired, strain syrup to remove fruit seeds and pulp. Personally, I love the thickness and dimension it adds, and only strain it if I'm using the syrup for an Italian Soda