In the hot summer months, snow cones are a popular treat.The only thing you need to make snow cones at home is syrup.It's easy to make your own snow cone syrup.You can make homemade snow cone syrup by simmering sugar, water, and your choice of drink mix or mashed fruit in a saucepan.
Step 1: Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan.
Place the pan over high heat and stir 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water together.The mixture should take around 5 minutes to boil.34 of the way between the lowest and highest settings is the medium high heat.Medium high would be 6 on a dial that went from 1 to 8.
Step 2: Remove the water from the heat and add the mix.
It should take 1 minute for the water to boil and the sugar to be completely dissolved.Once you remove the saucepan from the stove, sprinkle the drink mix into the water.The whole packet of drink mix will clump in the water if it is dumped all at once.The amount that comes in a single-serving packet is usually 16 ounces of drink mix.These can be purchased at any grocery store.
Step 3: Allow the drink mix to cool before pouring it into the water.
It takes 1-2 minutes for the mix to be completely dissolved in the water.Allow the water to cool.The water probably won't take more than 10 minutes to cool down.
Step 4: You can pour the syrup into a funnel.
You need to use a funnel to transfer the syrup from the saucepan to the bottle in order to avoid making a mess.As it cools, it is normal for the syrup to be thicker than it was in the saucepan.If you have leftover syrup that won't fit in your dispensers, transfer it into a separate container and put it in the fridge.
Step 5: Store the syrup in the fridge.
If you have shaved ice, the syrup is ready to use immediately.If you decide not to use it immediately, it will stay in the fridge for up to a month.
Step 6: In a saucepan, combine the sugar and fruit.
For the best results, use 20 ounces of chopped or mashed fruit and 2 cups of sugar.The fruit can either be frozen or fresh.Make sure the pieces of your fruit aren't larger than 1 inch across to make sure they cook properly.There are some good examples of different fruit that can be used for syrup.
Step 7: Place the fruit in a pot and cook it for a short time.
The sugar should be completely dissolved by the time the fruit has softened.It usually takes 3-4 minutes, but it may take a few minutes longer if you use frozen fruit.Allow the fruit to cool after removing the pan from heat.The middle setting on the stovetop dial is medium heat.Medium heat would be 4 if the numbers on your dial ran from 1 to 8.The fruit should cool down in 15-20 minutes.
Step 8: Put the fruit in a food processor and make a puree.
Even if the fruit has already been mashed and softened in the saucepan, it will still need to be more processed before it can be used on a snow cone.It will take about 30 seconds for the fruit and sugar mixture to be blended into a smooth syrup.You can run the mixture through a sieve if you don't have a food processor.
Step 9: To remove seeds, pour the syrup into a strainer.
If you find large chunks of fruit in the syrup, you can either take them out or use the food processor to make syrup again.If the syrup is thick, add a little water to thin it out.If the syrup is too thick to easily pour into a strainer, it will also be hard to use on snow cones.
Step 10: Store your syrup in the fridge or use it immediately.
It is best to use snow cone syrup immediately.If you would rather store it and use it later, place it in the refrigerator and transfer it to an airtight container.You should use the syrup within 4-7 days of making it if you store it in the fridge.