How to Substitute Ingredients for Corn Syrup

Corn syrup in the recipe helps fudge retain its creamy texture.

Corn syrup is one of a class of sweeteners known as "invert sugars," in which the sugars remain liquid under normal conditions instead of crystallizing. They are widely used in baking and the making of sweets, serving a variety of purposes. The most important of these for home cooks is that invert sugars help prevent other sugars from crystallizing, so fudge, for example, will have a creamy texture rather than a being grainy. It's easy to create a homemade, invert sugar syrup to substitute for corn syrup, or other sweeteners may be substituted directly.

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice, or 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• Sauce pan
• Candy thermometer, optional

Instructions

Cooking Your Own Syrup

1. Place sugar, water, salt, and the vinegar or lemon juice in a saucepan. Heat over a medium burner until the mixture comes to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. The solution may foam up in the early stages and threaten to boil over, so watch it carefully, and remove it briefly from the heat if needed.

2. Simmer the syrup, once the foaming stage has subsided, until the thinning steam shows that most of the water has now evaporated. Stir frequently, and continue checking the temperature until the syrup reaches 235 to 240 degrees Fahrenheit on a candy thermometer, or forms a soft ball when dripped into ice water.

3. Pour the hot syrup into a sterile canning jar and store in a dark place until needed. You may substitute this syrup on a 1:1 basis in any recipe calling for corn syrup.

Direct Substitutions

1. Most recipes specify light corn syrup, which does not affect the color of the finished product. Dark corn syrup may be substituted for light syrup in recipes where the darker color will not be a factor. Use equal quantities.

2. Substitute liquid glucose for corn syrup in any recipe. Use equal quantities.

3. Substitute honey for corn syrup in recipes where honey's distinctive flavor will not impair the recipe's outcome. Use equal quantities.

4. Substitute 1 cup of granulated sugar for 1 cup of corn syrup in baking recipes, but not candy making recipes. Increase liquids by 1/4 cup.

Tips & Warnings

• Conventional sugars will themselves become invert sugars in the presence of heat and acidity. If none of the liquid substitutes are available, use the sugar and water substitution, and add 1 tsp. of lemon juice or vinegar to the solution.

• The hot sugar syrup can cause serious burns. Handle it with care, and keep children out of the work area.

References

• The Joy of Baking: Ingredient Substititions
• Thrifty Fun: Substitute for Corn Syrup