LOW CARB CINNAMON PANCAKE SYRUP

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/cinnamon_pancake_syrup.html

CINNAMON PANCAKE SYRUP
1/4 teaspoon oil
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses
1/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the oil and xanthan gum in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add the butter; microwave on HIGH about 40 seconds to melt the butter. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Microwave on HIGH about 30 seconds. Whisk well, then let stand a few minutes to allow the syrup to thicken. You can serve this warm or let it cool to room temperature first. I recommend storing it in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1/2 cup

With granular Splenda:
Per 1/2 cup: 145 Calories; 13g Fat; trace Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 7g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per 1/2 cup: 121 Calories; 13g Fat; trace Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carb

I've been making the Better Than Boxed Low Carb Pancakes quite a lot lately and topping them with Walden Farms pancake syrup. I really like that syrup but it's very expensive. So, I decided to try and come up with a cheap syrup that I could make myself using ingredients that I always have on hand. A while back I made some Cinnamon Dolce Syrup to go in a Cappuccino Egg Cream recipe and I used that syrup as a starting point for creating this one. I wanted it to have a little bit of thickness so I added the xanthan gum. Don't be tempted to add more than the amount listed or you'll end up with pudding. Although I liked this quite well on the pancakes, I think it needs a little bit of tweaking. I'd also like to try it sometime without the cinnamon and add a bit more maple flavoring. If you want to double the recipe, make sure that you use a larger measuring cup or bowl or it might boil over. As you can see in the photo, this looks a bit more like gravy than syrup. The dark color is from the molasses and the maple flavoring.

UPDATE: The first time that I made this recipe, I thought it tasted a little bitter. I think I've figured out why. I put in too much Splenda. I've changed the amount from 1/2 cup to just 1/4 cup and it's still sweet enough but with no bitter aftertaste. I've also reduced the amount of vanilla a bit and adjusted the carb count.