By now, most of you know that I have quit my beloved Diet Coke. Big Deal. Really Big Deal. I am well known for my ability to drink gallons of it. I have also been known to go out of my way to stop while on vacation, before work, in the middle of kids’ activities, even running downstairs right before going to bed to grab one. I could be counted on to have a Diet Coke on me at all times. More about my great restraint coming up (spoiler alert-you can do it too!), but clearly I needed something to replace some of the caffeine with. Although I was only a fair weather coffee drinker at best, I have found that a cup of Cold Press Coffee with this Caramel Coffee Syrup has easily replaced my morning Diet Coke. (and I have grown to LOVE it!) Read further to find out how I did it!
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After about 6 months of contemplating giving up Diet Coke, I finally did it. Cold Turkey. No magic, just saying no. From a 12 pack a day (or more) to none. No Diet Coke for over a month now! Why you ask? Mostly because I didn’t want to be “dependent” (even psychologically) on anything, but also because I am in the midst of “trying to get more healthy”. I was starting to think that the chemical laden unnaturally colored liquid wasn’t helping me get there. And that meant ditching the Diet Coke (for starters).
My big concern about being successful was avoiding the headache from caffeine withdrawal. And I wasn’t against a little caffeine (although I can argue the amount of caffeine in a 12 pack of Diet Coke every day wasn’t necessary). I decided a Cold Press Coffee in the morning made overnight in my French Press (affiliate link) would take care of keeping the caffeine withdrawal headache away, as well as keeping things economical. After all a daily Starbucks run gets expensive quickly.
But to me, the Cold Press was still a little bitter, and I was used to a whole bunch of sweet. Easy fix. This homemade Caramel Coffee Syrup solved the problem. Now in the morning, I pour some coffee concentrate over ice, add water and a Tablespoon of this Caramel Coffee Syrup into a portable cup (affiliate link) and head to work. Voila, problem solved!
Yes, it is consuming some sugar, but far better than all of the aspartame I was consuming in the Diet Coke!
Now you’re wondering, has quitting Diet Coke been worth it? The answer is a resounding YES! I am so much less hungry. I’m eating less. Fruits and vegetables taste better. I am not craving fast food as much. I am drinking so much more water, and I’ve rediscovered La Croix Sparkling Water (affiliate link). The benefits go on and on. It has been very, very worth it.
This is also a great gift idea! I use these bottles (affiliate link) to store the Caramel Coffee Syrup in the refrigerator.
Caramel Coffee Syrup
This is an easy Caramel Coffee syrup, perfect for your morning cup. This is also a fabulous gift for the coffee drinker in your life!
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup water divided
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
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In a small sauce pan add sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Dissolve sugar over medium low heat until completely dissolved.
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Turn heat up and bring to a slow boil while continuously stirring. Heat until mixture turns a caramel color. (Do not walk away during this step).
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Once the mixture has turned to a caramel color (about 3 minutes of slow boil), remove from heat and carefully add remaining 1/2 cup of water. BE CAREFUL during this step as the syrup will steam and spatter.
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Continue to stir mixture until all crystallized syrup has fully dissolved. Stir in vanilla and kosher salt.
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Allow to cool slightly. Using a funnel (or a very steady hand), pour caramel syrup into a glass storage container. Cool fully before using. This Caramel Coffee Syrup will keep in the refrigerator for several months.
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Add 1-2 Tablespoons (to taste) to sweeten your coffee!
Recipe Notes
Caramel Coffee Syrup can be finicky. There is a very short time period between the time the the syrup is caramelizing and the time the syrup is burning. Stir continuously during the time period. As soon as you've made this a time or two, you will be easily able to determine when to remove this from the heat.
Calories listed are for 1 Tablespoon of Caramel Coffee Syrup.
Do I miss the Diet Coke? Sure. And at some very strange times-like driving home from work. But I am an all-or-none personality, and I won’t be able to have “just one” without climbing back on the Diet Coke Train. Easier to quit all together.
One last life hack..a bottle of this would make a great gift for the coffee drinker in your life. As the end of the school year/sports season is on us, here is also a link to buy teacher or coach gift cards from Target (affiliate link). I can’t imagine any gift I’d rather receive than a gift card and a bottle of this Caramel Coffee Syrup!
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Love the idea of giving these bottles as teachers gifts! And great job ditching the Diet Coke!!
Thanks Heidi! XOXO
Would erythritol work too?
I have never worked with erythritol so I can’t comment on that! Let us know if you try it though…
I gave up Coke, and it’s hard finding a decent substitute. I’ve been drinking water and sometimes I have almond milk with a little chocolate syrup in it when I have a major craving for something sweet. 🙂 Love your idea!
Hope it works for you! I drink a ton of sparkling water, but this works well for the caffeine hit (plus a little something sweet)!
Way to go on beating your pop dependency! I’m going to have to try this!
It was so much easier than I thought it would be!
Sounds like something my husband would love.
YES! Make it for him 🙂 !
Omg this sounds divine!! CARAMEL is LIFE!
Caramel IS life!
I don’t know why I haven’t tried making my own syrups yet! I always love making “fancy” coffee at home!
It’s so easy!
Good recipe in the end!! I halved the recipe to make less syrup but when it got to the slow boil stage all of the mixture had crystallised then after adding the rest of the water not all of them dissolved again. I sieved the mixture and I got a deliciously smooth syrup. However the remaining crystals had stuck to the bottom of my pan. I googled it (of course!) and after following instructions to put laundry detergent in it and leave it for an hour with warm water it all came off a treat!! I’m enjoying my delicious syrup right this minute – Thank you very much 🙂
Oh no! I’m so sorry you had so much crystal formation! I usually get a tiny bit on the sides of my pan, but it always dissolves again. Caramel is always tough! I’m glad you liked the syrup!
When I cook with sugar, i usually like to fill the pot/pan with water and bring it to a boil to dissolve the sugar and then pour it out. This also helps clean the whisk!
I’m a huge fan of this recipe and make it pretty frequently. My morning routine is this with some coldbrew and cream in a jar of ice. Quick and easy, but barista-quality!
That’s such a great tip!
Good recipe and idea. Thank you so much for sharing it. A lot of information about easy homemade caramel coffee syrup. This is great.
Thanks so much! We hope you love it 🙂
Terrible recipe. The sugar dissolved when warming/boiling, but never turned the caramel color until it re-crystalized into chunks, which was useless then when the water was added.
Oh no! I’m SO sorry it didn’t work for you. Sugar can be so fickle! You definitely have to slow boil it until it turns caramel color and it should still be liquid at that time! It is possible that you heated it too quickly and the water evaporated too quickly-it can be very sensitive to temperature. I do sometimes have a few crystals left after adding the water in the end that I filter out, but it shouldn’t be very many. (I can promise you it works though-I’ve made it a million times!)
Hello. This also happened to me. The first time I had it on 7 and it started turning that color but took a while. I took it off the heat, added the water and the Carmel balled up. Probably because it was still hot. So do you have to let it sit?
The second attempt when I was stirring it at 5/6 with it boiling the surgar just cubbed up and I had a pot of sugar.
Sugar can be difficult to work with. I promise as soon as you find your groove it will be easy. A few tips…boil slow, don’t rush this one. Stir at 5 and if you start to seize up, increase the heat until you can stir again easily. Also, make sure you are adding room temp water. I once added water from my fridge-not a great idea. Add the water slowly and keep stirring. You may get a few small crystals but just strain them out.
When you say boil slow. Do you mean keep the temp low at like 3 or 4? Or when I boil and stir should the temp be higher like 6-7?
Bring to a slow boil. I use a gas stove so I can’t tell you what number that corresponds to, but if you feel like you are seizing up (crystalizing) turn it up a bit! Hope that helps!
Hi Natalie and Laura,
HELP! This syrup came out way to thick. What can I do to thin it out without losing the great caramel flavor?
Thanks a Bunch,Deb
If it is cooled down, see if you can add a little water (or milk if you prefer) to thin it a bit.
I’ll give it a try. Thanks.
Well, I don’t think I did it correctly. The first attempt led to a pot full of crystallized sugar, and though the second time started out better it still hadn’t changed color even after almost 10 minutes of stirring at (what I think was) a slow boil. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.
Keep stirring. I’m not sure the chemistry behind it, but sometimes it takes more time than you think!
Will do, thanks!
the first time it was so perfect. The second time it turned to a rock of sugar. This time every time it was about to turn into a rock of sugar I would add water and boil it, I did this for five times until it slightly turned into 1 out 100 of the caramel color. WHYYYY???
I don’t know if I can answer this without having seen what you did differently the second time! Maybe the temperatures were different the second time? Sugar can be finicky for sure.
Question. During the first step when the sugar is supposed to dissolve, are we supposed to mix the sugar and water or leave the water and sugar untouched until the sugar has dissolved? I plan on making this tomorrow since it sounds DELICIOUS, but I just want to make sure I am doing it correctly.
Thanks!
You can just leave it. Just go slowly!