Here Are Some Innovative Ways To Use Up Leftover Sugar Syrup In Your Favorite Desserts

Sugar syrup is easy and fun to make. Simply combine sugar and water and you're good. Here are some creative ways of using your syrup or chashini.

A sugar syrup or chashini is something every dessert enthusiast makes early in their culinary journey. It’s a simple dish to make, but takes some practice to get the balance right. To make it, in a nonstick pan, take 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water. On a low flame, stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Make sure you don't stir too slow or it will crystallize, and if you stir too fast it might burn. Once it has dissolved, strain and store in an airtight container.

If you have bought some sweets like gulab jamun and have some of the leftover syrup,or if you have some homemade chashini lying around and don't know how to use it, don't throw it away. Instead, use it in these ways.

1. Malpua

Quickly make some malpuas, which are essentially Indian versions of pancakes, made using flour and semolina. The batter is cooked in a generous amount of pure ghee and fried until golden brown and has a crispy finish. Once ready, while they're still hot, dip the malpuas in the sugar syrup and let them sit for a few hours so they can thoroughly soak the syrup. Serve hot (and dripping with chashini).

2. Shahi Tukda

Another quick and easy-to-make dessert is the shahi tukda. Simply cut up pieces of bread into triangles and deep fry them in ghee until they are golden. Keep turning while they are frying so that it crisps evenly. While the bread pieces are still hot, dip them in the chashini and let them sit for a few hours, giving them time to soak it in. Then top the bread with chilled rabri and serve cold.

3. Sweet Rice

Also called zarda pulao or meetha pulao, sweet rice is another fun and easy way of using any extra syrup. Soak some rice. Add the sugar syrup to the warm, soaked rice, mix it gently and then cook. Once ready, top it with nuts, spices and rose water for added flavor. Don’t forget the saffron for the bright, appetizing yellow color that the dish normally has.

4. Fruit Bowl

This is another easy way of using up some leftover chashini. Chop your favorite fruits and place them in a bowl. You can use fruits like mangoes, kiwis, pears, strawberries and more. Drizzle the syrup on top. Take a few pieces of fruit and dip them completely in the syrup. Then place them back in the bowl so there’s surprising instances of extra sweetness in your fruit bowl.

5. Amla Murabba

Amla murabba is essentially pickled amla, a healthy and sweet dish consumed in several Indian homes. Soak the pickled and cooked amla in sugar syrup, saving yourself the step of having to make it from scratch.

6. Puran Poli

Add sugar syrup to give the puran poli its signature sweetness. Mix some spices into the chashini before putting for added flavor. Cook the syrup into the chana dal when making the dish. Also knead it into the dough to spread the sweetness evenly throughout.

7. Cakes

If you’re in the mood to bake a cake, that’s another place to use up your sugar syrup. For this one, it will have to be diluted with some water. The consistency should be slightly thinner and runnier than the normal chashini. Once you've baked your cake, brush the syrup generously all over it. This will moisten the cake and create a smoother eating experience. Add the syrup before each stage of decorating and on each layer if it's a multilayer cake. Besides the moistness, it will also add an extra flavor to the entire cake.

8. As a sugar alternate

Be it your tea or coffee, cocktails like the Old Fashioned or Irish Coffee, or your morning pancakes or waffles, sugar syrup can be added to all of it. Alternate it for white sugar in your beverages. The cocktails will have a thicker texture because of it. It’s also a great alternative to honey or maple syrup to drizzle over your fun breakfasts. You can also use leftover syrup in cookie dough instead of white sugar to give your cookies a unique flavor. Make sure to add it only a little at a time, since the flavor really seeps into the dough.