Caramel Buttermilk Syrup

So I gave you my nice healthy whole wheat and zucchini pancakes. And I mean, sure, you could eat them with some wholesome topping--some fruit sauce or pure maple syrup or maybe a bit of lightly sweetened Greek yogurt. Ooooorrrr.... You could top them with this intensely decadent, slightly wicked caramel buttermilk syrup. You could also top ice cream with this (for reals), but we needn't discuss that right now because we're pretending that this is something acceptable for a breakfast food.

The idea of buttermilk syrup was kind of gross to me at first--if you've ever had a swig of actual buttermilk, you will understand this. It's an acidic, sour tasting milk. But don't worry, in this recipe it's combined with a stick of butter and a couple cups of sugar. Also, you add baking soda, which combines with that acidic milk and works its science-y magic and makes it so there's not a hint of sour anywhere near this syrup.

Also, in order to justify my unwholesome breakfast habits, let me point out that surely this (in some form of moderation should you be able to manage that) surely isn't any worse than pancakes smeared with butter and topped with cheap syrup. So enjoy.

Caramel Buttermilk Syrup
adapted from Creations by Kara
Makes: a few cups
Cook time: 10-ish minutes
Cost: $1.30
buttermilk: .40, sugar: .10, brown sugar: .25, butter: .50, other stuff: .05

Note: Often I substitute milk and vinegar for buttermilk. I'm guessing that will NOT work in this so I don't recommend you try it.
-You know what else I discovered won't work: Lowfat buttermilk. Sorry, guys, but the full fat does better.

Note: Be sure to start the buttermilk off in a cool pan. Once I added it to an already hot pan because I'd been distracted while making this and the pan heated up before I got my ingredients in it. The buttermilk curdled, so start it off cool and heat it from there.

1 1/2 C buttermilk
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
1/2 C (1 stick) butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

In a large saucepan, bring buttermilk, sugars, and butter to a boil over medium heat. When it's boiling, take it off the heat and whisk in the baking soda. it's going to bubble up like crazy, so be sure you have not used a tiny saucepan. Whisk in vanilla (don't forget--it adds a lot).

As this cools the bubbles go away. (Though you don't have to wait for it to cool to serve it--just stir it up and get a nice ladle full.)

According to the original blogger, this will keep for several months in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, we have not be able to put this theory to the test as ours is often gone in two days.

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