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Author:
Franco Salzillo
There are some things in life that, once you try, you can’t live without, and for me, that’s a hazelnut coffee syrup.
And although, no, this one doesn’t contain coffee, it’s the perfect addition to any cappuccino, latte or flat white — it can turn your drink into a nutty delight!
The thing with store-bought hazelnut syrups is that they just taste too artificial. Make your own, and you’ll experience what real hazelnuts taste like in every sip, and the syrup will do wonders for your favorite coffee drinks!
To make hazelnut syrup, we’re cheating a little. We’re using hazelnut liqueur to give life to our concoction, and there’s a good reason for that — the flavor intensity in high-quality liqueurs, like Frangelico, is unmatched.
Hazelnut liqueur is made with authentic hazelnuts, and it’s way better than hazelnut essences or concentrates, which are, more often than not, artificial. And although the liqueur does have some alcohol, we’re using a splash of it in our syrup and just an ounce of it in our coffee. You won’t get all dizzy or anything.
The rest of the ingredients are sugar and water in equal proportions. That’s how you make a 1:1 simple syrup, perfect for flavoring drinks!
In fact, you can flavor any syrup with your favorite liquors or other ingredients (including espresso) to make fun sweeteners to add depth of flavor to any concoction.
So, to make hazelnut syrup, you need to make the syrup first. Either in the stove-top or just stirring sugar in cold water for quite a while. Interestingly, a cup of water and a cup of sugar make roughly a cup of syrup, so consider that before starting — you’ll need a container to store the syrup. I use a reused squeezable bottle that once contained pancake syrup.
Once you’ve got yourself a thick, sugary syrup, flavor it with the hazelnut liqueur. Taste and adjust to your liking; I use a quarter cup of liqueur per cup of syrup, but you do you!
My favorite use for the nutty syrup is sweetening creamy or milky coffee drinks. A hazelnut latte is a terrific way to start the day, and even cold brew coffee benefits significantly with an ounce of the tasty stuff!
Heat the water in a stove-top until steamy, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
Remove from heat and incorporate the hazelnut liqueur. Bottle and cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.
