Have you ever run out of Corn Syrup and needed some for a recipe now?

I haven't. My problem is worse: I simply can't get corn syrup here. They don't make corn syrup, as it is mainly an American product.

So what is a girl suppose to do?

Make her own. For many years months I've had this dilemma. What subsitute would work? I searched and searched online. The best option I found contained Cream of Tartar, which was bad, then good, then bad again, because I didn't used to have any, then I brought some back from the States this with me and now I can't find it because it's probably hiding in a shoe somewhere.

So I had to find a different solution. David Lebovitz suggested adding some lemon or white vinegar to the solution to create corn syrup. Hmmmm, superb! Plus, when you make this recipe it works great if you don't want all that "high-fructose" junk in your food. Win-win right?

Note: If you're in a pinch, pure glucose (1/1 ratio) works well as a substitute; honey as well, but it will have more of an influence on the flavor.

So here's the recipe for corn syrup, plus the Cream of Tartar alternative:

My Recipe for Corn Syrup:

2 cups of white sugar
3/4 cup of water
Squeeze of lemon juice
Dash of white vinegar (I'm sure you could do one or the other, but I prefer both)
Dash of salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Watch carefully, but do not stir. To keep from burning swirl the pan around often or use a basting brush with some cold water to gentle swirl the mixture. Let boil and then simmer until it reaches the soft ball stage, keeping in mind that it will thicken once it cools.

Once the mixture is cooled store in an airtight container for up to two months.

For the cream of tartar version substitute 1/4 tsp cream of tartar for the lemon juice and white vinegar.

xoxo Em

For a recipe for caramel containing this corn syrup recipe check back tomorrow. I will be posting an excruciatingly wonderful and easy caramel recipe along with a cookie recipe : )