Buttermilk Pancakes with Homemade Maple Syrup

I'm not a huge pancake fan. Waffles are more my thing, but try as I might I CANNOT convince my family to be only of the waffle persuasion like me. They LOVE pancakes! All kinds. So I've given in somewhat and have even been known to enjoy a hotcake or two on occasion. The real key is the homemade syrup. My mom always made our syrup growing up. I think they bought syrup from a store once because an empty syrup container is what they used to store our homemade stuff, but I don't remember ever eating it. Once I made it for my husband he could never go back to the store stuff. Easy, cheap, and delicious. A must have for our kitchen.

Here is our usual recipe for good old American pancakes:

Buttermilk Pancakes
1 1/4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. soda
1 beaten egg
1 C. buttermilk
2 T. oil

Mix dry ingredients, add wet all at once. Do not overstir, mix will be a little lumpy. Add more buttermilk or regular milk for desired consistency

And for the secret weapon!

Mom's Maple Syrup
2 C. sugar
1 C. water
2 t. maple flavoring
1 t. vanilla

bring all ingredients to a boil, boil 5-6 minutes (use a large pot, this will boil up and over if you let it!) stirring frequently. serve warm. Excess may be stored in the refrigerator for quite a while, maybe even forever, but it will never last that long, it's way too delicious!