Honestly, substituting corn syrup for sugar in baking and cooking would not normally have occurred to me. Sure, you see it listed in ingredients in store-bought bread and other baked goods, but it's not normally called for in breads we bake at home. Most of us use corn syrup just for making candy, and perhaps a few other desserts.
But.... There's always a but.
One idea I try to get across here on the blog is the importance of being able to adapt your favorite recipes to utilize the ingredients you have on hand. At the same time, it's good to take advantage of opportunities to save money using substitutes. The whole COVID-induced panic prepping and shopping made for a lot of empty store shelves and long lines. Many of the photos posted online reminded me of Soviet-era shopping, where women spent the better part of their days shopping for food for their families. When lines formed, grandmothers would fall in place, without even knowing what was being sold. They bought things they didn't necessarily want or need, because someone near and dear to them might.
Anyway, one of the items I bought a lot of earlier this year was corn syrup. It's not my favorite form of sugar. I use it for making toffee, caramel corn, and homemade marshmallows. I think I have a couple of other recipes that call for it. But you know what? My local Grocery Outlet store had it on sale for 17 cents per quart. That's darn cheap sugar. (It can be substituted measure for measure, so that's 4 cups of sugar for 17 cents. A four-pound bag of sugar holds 16 cups. At $2.49 per bag, that's 15.6 cents per cup of granulated sugar, versus 4.25 cents per cup for corn syrup.) It has an indefinite shelf life at room temperature.[1] I was pretty sure I could substitute it in baking, so I bought a boatload.
And then it was time to start testing it in recipes.
I first substituted it for honey in my sandwich bread. It worked great. No one detected any difference in the bread. Corn syrup works beautifully in breads because it helps them retain moisture. While corn syrup can be substituted for sugar measure for measure, when baking very sweet items like cookies and brownies, replace only half of the sugar with corn syrup or the texture will be wrong, i.e., if a recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar, use 1 cup of corn syrup and 1 cup of sugar.
To achieve the same level of sweetness, like when making ice cream or smoothies, you'll need about 50% more corn syrup. Furthermore, the amount of liquid, like milk or water, that is added to the recipe needs to be reduced by 1/4 cup for every cup of corn syrup.[2]
Corn syrup is also ideal for making jams, jellies, sugar syrup for canning, as well as candies. It's difficult to make good caramels without it. It adds a shine to frostings and sauces. Corn syrup can also be substituted measure for measure to replace honey or maple/maple-flavored syrup. However, corn syrup does not impart the same depth of flavor that maple syrup and honey do.[3, 4]
Admittedly, corn syrup is not my favorite form of sugar. Of course, it's corn syrup, corn-based, and comes from corn that is grown with Roundup. As I write this, however, I am reminded of the derecho that hit the Midwest earlier this month, wiping out 10 million acres of corn, the same corn that is used in part to make corn syrup. The price of corn syrup is likely to rise quite soon.
If you chose not to store corn syrup and happen to find yourself needing some, here is a substitute you can make pretty quickly. They say it even works in making candy.
Corn Syrup Substitute
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch salt
Combine all ingredients in heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. After sugar dissolves, reduce heat and simmer syrup for 15-20 minutes, until it is very thick. If you've got a candy thermometer, once it reaches 230 degrees, it's ready. Let cool and then use as needed in your recipe. Yields about 1 1/3 cups.
Keep in mind that most corn syrup is not the same as high fructose corn syrup. Karo corn syrup does not contain HFCS, but some other brands do. While both come from cornstarch, the former is 100% pure glucose. HFCS, on the other hand, has been processed to convert some of the glucose into fructose.[5]
References:
[1] KaroSyrup.com (accessed 18 August 2020).
[2] Michelle Brunet, "How to Substitute Sugar with Corn Syrup," Leaf, https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-substitute-sugar-with-corn-syrup/ (accessed 18 August 2020).
[3] Alexia Dellner, "7 Best Substitutes for Corn Syrup You Can Buy at the Grocery Store," PureWow, 14 November 2019, https://www.purewow.com/food/substitute-for-corn-syrup (accessed 18 August 2020).
[4] Joshua Wade, "How to Substitute Light Corn Syrup in a Recipe," OEL, 28 September 2017 https://oureverydaylife.com/how-to-substitute-light-corn-syrup-in-a-recipe-for-corn-allergies-12128405.html (accessed 18 August 2020).
[5] Sheela Prakash, "How to Substitute Corn Syrup," Epicurious, 1 September 2015, https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-substitute-corn-syrup-article (accessed 18 August 2020).
9.9.22
Again information I didn't know. Thank you. I don't make candy so I don't have many bottles but I do have a few on hand to use as a substitute for pancake syrup. Think King Syrup lol thats what I grew up eating.
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