The 3-Ingredient Peach Syrup That's Perfect For Breakfast And Dessert

Making the same breakfast dishes and desserts can be almost like muscle memory, resulting in a repetitive process which always yields the same results. While the outcome may consistently turn out fine, there's always room to shake things up with a bright ingredient. For a fresh take on breakfast and dessert, make a simple peach syrup.

Your first instinct to elevate your pancakes or cookies may be adding a caramel sauce or chocolate chips, but why not peach syrup? The topping also boasts a sweet flavor, but it's accompanied by a fruity, floral-like taste that makes everything a little more special. Peach syrup is great for sprucing up everything from waffles and French toast to cornbread, pies, or blondies — and it only takes three ingredients to make. The juicy, sweet flavor doesn't come from the peaches alone; a squeeze of fresh lemon provides the syrup with a zingy boost while sugar gives it a honeyed taste.

To make the syrup, you can peel and cut ripe peaches or opt for the frozen kind. Add the peaches to a pot, followed by lemon juice and some sugar. After the fruits have broken down and simmered for a few minutes, puree them with an immersion blender. If you want the syrup to have a thinner consistency, add water at the beginning and strain the mixture after the peaches have softened. You can keep the boiled peaches to add to overnight oats, toast, or a peach cobbler smoothie with brown sugar crumble.

Who says you have to stick with a boring strawberry sauce for tonight's dessert? Using peach syrup is a great way to upgrade your ice cream sundae with an even fruitier spin. It works well on a scoop of plain vanilla, but you can always spring for cheesecake or raspberry flavored ice cream to take things up a notch. Add warm peach syrup to a scoop or two (or three) of ice cream, followed by a dash of culinary lavender, slivered almonds, and cinnamon chips.

If you want to add more depth to your peach syrup, you can include spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Not only do they give the syrup a warmer taste, but they make it the perfect topping for spiced chocolate rum banana bread. The syrup complements the sweet flavors of the rum and bananas, and the addition of baking spices allows the unusual combination to flow together a little better. While the banana bread cools, simmer and blend the peaches and drizzle the mixture over the dessert while hot.

Baking spices have a subtle heat to them, but peach syrup also pairs well with the fiery cayenne in fried chicken and waffle sliders. The syrup melts perfectly into the savory, crispy chicken, emphasizing the umami flavor with its sweetness. The regular three-ingredient peach syrup works well here, but if you're a heat enthusiast, add some fruity habanero hot sauce to spice it up.