There is something particularly good about the combination of apple, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, and this syrup is a simple way of turning those flavours into something you can use in all sorts of way. It is richer than a simple fruit syrup thanks to the butter and brown sugar, but still light enough to use in all sorts of recipes.
I particularly like this in a latte, where the apple and cinnamon work surprisingly well with coffee. It is also lovely over pancakes and French toast, or drizzled over vanilla ice cream.
I also like to make this when I have a couple of apples that need using up. You only need one apple for this batch, and the whole thing takes around 20 minutes on the hob. The apple is strained out at the end, leaving you with a small jar of syrup that keeps the flavour of the fruit without any pieces getting in the way. And discard the softened apple left after straining, it is lovely stirred into an apple cake or used as a filling for crêpes.
