This Nutella Maple Syrup Is a Pancake’s Best Friend

You know that saying about something being so good it makes shoe leather taste good? That’s how I feel about Nutella Maple Syrup.

I originally planned to write a nuanced assessment of the appeal of this recipe—its flavor profile, its glossy appearance, its balanced sweetness, yada yada. Instead, I’m just going to cut to the chase. Here’s a list of the ways I consumed Nutella Maple Syrup in the last week.

• I drizzled it over pancakes.
• I dipped a frozen Snickers bar in it.
• I dipped a rolled-up flour tortilla in it.
• I straight-up ate it with a spoon.

I didn’t expect to love Nutella Maple Syrup this much—I’m a pancake purist. I like my pancakes made with buttermilk and topped with a pat of butter and real maple syrup, and I almost always prefer them unadulterated by mix-ins such as chocolate chips or fruit. But this syrup is magic.

The recipe was developed by Cook’s Country test cook Matthew Fairman to accompany his Malted Milk Pancakes. The pancakes are good enough to stand on their own, but the topping steals the show.

On the recipe page, one commenter said, “[I] was worried the Nutella maple syrup would be too sweet, but it was perfect.” Another summed it up: “. . . it’s the Nutella syrup that makes this outstanding.”

So what exactly makes it so good? For one, it’s as simple as it sounds: three ingredients whisked together in a bowl. Next, it’s not too sweet. With the caramel notes of the syrup, the nuttiness of the Nutella, and the salt punching everything up, the syrup ends up tasting butterscotch-y.

If you can’t tell, I don’t think there’s much room for improvement here. But I do have one pro tip: If ½ teaspoon of salt sounds like too much to you, start with less, taste it, and add more if you think it's needed. Depending on the saltiness of what you drizzle the syrup over—whether it’s pancakes, French toast, waffles, or ice cream—the combination might taste too salty. So start conservatively; you can always add more.

The recipe is also designed to serve four people, but it can easily be scaled down. The recipe for our Best Buttermilk Pancakes is also easily halved. I found that the two recipes make a perfect pair.

Makes about ¾ cup

• ½ cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup Nutella
• ½ teaspoon table salt

Whisk maple syrup, Nutella, and salt in bowl until combined.

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