3 Best Corn Syrup Substitute

Making candy requires corn syrup every now and then and so do many other treats because of corn syrup’s anti-crystallization properties.

But because of corn syrup’s harmful effects, many people want to use a substitute instead.

assorted cake pops

How to Make Cake Pops From Leftover Cake

If you’re like me and you love baking cakes for special occasions, but you’re tired of throwing out the leftovers, then this recipe is for you. In it you will learn how to make cake pops from leftover cake. It’s a sure fire way to turn your old cake into a new treat that the kids will love. It’s actually so easy, your kids can help make the cake pops

How to Make a Caramel Brûlée Latte

When I first heard about the Starbucks Caramel Brûlée Latte (quite often incorrectly called a Crème Brûlée Latte, especially by my husband), I headed to the nearest Starbucks. As expected, my kids wanted a Skittles Frappuccino and, feeling a little adventurous, I tried the Caramel Brûlée Latte.

Side note: If you haven’t heard of Skittles Frappuccino at Starbucks before, it’s part of their secret menu so you won’t normally see it on a menu, you have to ask for it. And if you want to save some cash, my Skittles Frappuccino recipe does a pretty good job of mimicking the Starbucks version.

Anyway, while I was enjoying my drink, I realized I now have a new favorite next to the classic Vanilla Latte. To my dismay, these two favorites are seasonal so I can only have them from November until January.

The only good solution is making my own. Luckily, it’s fast, easy, and inexpensive.

It’s a clear win for me since this is another recipe I can add to my ever-growing list caramel recipes.

caramel coffee in white mug

How to Make Caramel for Coffee

Anything you can make at home is always the best, in my opinion. It gives you the chance to make it for family and friends on any occasion, anytime you want. Be it food or beverages, my stance is always the same – it’s best when it’s homemade.

Even my coffee isn’t exempt. No, I don’t make the coffee beans or the cream at home, but I do make some sweet syrups in my kitchen.

Do you remember I mentioned a while back how I go to Starbucks with the kids on lazy Saturdays? The moment it became more frequent, the homemaker in me calculates in my head how much I can save if I just make them their Skittles frappuccino at home.

The secret drink is not a secret to them anymore and they’d order it at Starbucks every chance they can get. Being able to hack that recipe makes me save so much, I just have to make sure I have enough berry and vanilla syrup in the pantry.

But you see, while I’ve gotten the kid’s drinks out of the way, I still find myself sneaking a cup of caramel macchiato once in a while. And when I say once in a while, that also means any chance I can get. It doesn’t matter if it’s Starbucks or any other coffee shop as long as I have a dose of caramel in my coffee.

a mug full or marshmallow

Marshmallow Recipe With Egg White

My household loves marshmallows. I can’t stress that enough.

I’ve made several marshmallow posts on this blog – from making mallows soft again to dehydrating marshmallows, making marshmallows without gelatin for my vegan friends, then recreating that vegan marshmallow recipe without corn syrup.

You know how I try to avoid corn syrup in what I whip up in the kitchen. Some of the posts here contain corn syrup as an ingredient, but I usually revisit those posts by remaking a corn syrup-free version of the recipe.

I mentioned previously how I rarely make marshmallows at home. When I do, it’s usually when we have vegan friends coming over. Clue: S’mores!

Store bought marshmallows are really convenient and aren’t really expensive, right? Why would I want to make them at home when a grocery run makes everything easier?

The answer is obvious. Store-bought marshmallows are packed with corn syrup. If you haven’t read much on how they’re made, try looking it up and you’ll understand why I try to avoid store-bought as much as I can.

snow cones in blue and pink color

How to Make Sour Spray for Snow Cones

Kids love snow cones. It’s a refreshing break from all the sweetness we get from candies. Add to that the vibrant colors and it sure makes a great treat for kids and adults alike.

I admit I enjoy it as much as my kids do. It takes me back to my childhood when I ask for snow cones at the fair, choosing colors instead of flavors LOL. Fast forward a few decades and now you can get snow cones from food trucks and kiosks but my memory of it really started at the fair.

Since the emergence of DIYs, like you and me, it seems that there’s nothing we can’t NOT do in our own kitchen, especially things as simple as snow cones.

I make them every winter since we get a lot of snow. Usually the kids only want to make snow cones once per season. The novelty wears off pretty quickly. My suspicion is they enjoy making snow cones more than they enjoy eating them.

With just a few ingredients, it’s a great activity to do with the kids while saving extra bucks. They can choose their own flavors easily and even have rainbow-colored ones if they want to.

If there’s something my kids look forward to, it’s choosing flavors. And since we’re making snow cones at home, they can have all they want in a few easy steps. All we have to do is gather the ingredients that could already be in your pantry and you can have your sour spray ready in no time.

multi colored gumballs

How To Make Gumballs

I promised the kids we’ll do something fun today. I didn’t tell them ahead of time what it was, I just told them they can only join in the fun if they promise to trade their gadget time for it.

They were hesitant at first, but when they found out we are making gumballs, they were more excited than I expected! So with just a few ingredients, we’re all set to get our hands dirty.

With most ingredients already available in our kitchen, the only thing I needed to purchase online was a pack of gum pellets. You can usually find these at your local grocery store.

There are some leftover flavoring and coloring in the pantry so we’re just going to use those. The kids get to choose what flavors and colors they want so it’s like a field day for them!

We made chewing gum before, but all we used was peppermint oil and honey for flavoring so it wasn’t as fun as these gumballs will be. But if you prefer making gum using only natural ingredients, feel free to visit that post. It’s quick and easy and I offered some tips for sugar-free gum as well.

So going back to our gumball making activity, it’s a sure way of keeping the kids busy with something they will enjoy after. This recipe doesn’t involve making the hard shell as you would find in the gumballs from avending machine.

chocolate fondue in a heart shape bowl

Chocolate Fondue Melting Pot Recipe

Apart from caramel, another thing that I love with all my heart is chocolate! I mean, who doesn’t love chocolate???

Whether we’re talking about chocolate ice cream, brownies, delectable chocolate cake, chocolate beverages, chocolate sauce on just about any treat, or just nibbling on some chocolate bits.

Anything chocolatey sounds about right any day of the week. And I haven’t even started talking about chocolate fondue!

I bet you can feel my excitement from where you are. The kid in me gets so excited about dipping almost anything into that pool of melted chocolate. I even get myself spoonfuls just because. LOL.

Growing up, it wasn’t something we often had at home. But in recent years fondue has started to become quite popular and it’s not just cheese fondue anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, I love cheese. But chocolate fondue? It’s something that satisfies a different weakness in me.

gummy bear coated with chocolate

How to Make Chocolate Covered Gummy Bears

The advantage of being a candy making mom is that when you discover something that’s hard to find in stores, you can easily whip up your own whenever you want to.

So when my daughter came home one day with a bag of chocolate-covered gummy bears she got as a party favor, I know in an instant it’s something I had to make.

A small bag isn’t enough for the kids and it’s a treat not easily found in stores. Add to that the fact that it got me hooked too, there’s just one way to have enough for everyone – make our own!

If you’ve tried my gummy bear recipes, you can do them again ahead of time so you can have as much as you want for a fraction of the price in stores.

Cook Til Yummy