Holiday Gift Giving Guide–For the Coffee Lovers: DaVinci Gourmet Syrups (Review and Giveaway)

Closed.  Congrats to Shala!!!

Just because you are trying to watch your weight this holiday season, doesn't mean you can't treat yourself to some tasty hot beverages and treats.  Thanks to DaVinci Gourmet syrups, you can enjoy the splenda of the season, with their sugar free syrups.  Sweetened with SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener, DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Flavored Syrups have the same world–class flavor as Classic Syrups, but without the unwanted calories or carbohydrates. In fact, the sugar free syrups contain zero calories and zero carbs.
In addition to sugar free syrups, DaVinci also carries a line of classic syrups like their Hazelnute Classic syrup, which I recently sampled.

Hazelnut Classic Syrup (Toasted)

The flavor of freshly roasted, or toasted, hazelnuts that many are accustomed to in flavored coffee and syrups. Please note that this product used to be called "Toasted Hazelnut."
Buy now for $7.99
I am not a huge hazelnut fan, but my husband is.  So, he couldn’t wait to add this to coffee in the AM to see how it tasted.  After taking his first sip, he couldn’t believe how great it tasted.  He said it tasted like I had toasted hazelnuts and crushed them into his hot coffee.  It was out of this world!  Then, I told him that in addition to using this syrup in his coffee, that you can use it for other hot beverages, including lattes.  So, the next day, I made him a Butternut Latte.  I found this recipe on the DaVinci Gourment website, where they list recipes that you can make with their flavored syrups.  Here is the recipe, if you are interested in trying it out for yourself.
 

Butternut Latte

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz. DaVinci Gourmet Hazelnut Classic Syrup (Toasted)
• 1/2 oz. DaVinci Gourmet Butterscotch Classic Syrup
• 2 shots espresso
• 8 oz. steamed milk

Directions

Combine ingredients in a 12. oz. cup.
Tip: Top with whipping cream.
Now, my husband has an alternative beverage in the AM.  He just loved the combination of Hazelnut and Butterscotch.
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For those out there that prefer sugar-free products, then the 2 other syrups sent to me, may be of interest to you.  I love to bake (when I have the chance), so I used these two syrups to make a cake and for a wintery baked bean side dish.  Both were so yummy!! And, there were no leftovers.   So, I will definitely be buying these syrups again to make the following recipes.

This pure flavor is extracted from vanilla beans.
Buy now for only $7.99

Fudge Cake with Raspberry Sauce (low-sugar)

Author--Andrea Miller

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon DaVinci Gourmet Vanilla Sugar Free Syrup
• 1 cup unbleached flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup non-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup white grape juice
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (unthawed) raspberries

Directions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, mix with a wooden spoon. Add the water, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and stir to mix well. Coat a 9" round baking pan with nonstick cooking spray, and spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool to room temperature.

Sauce

To make the raspberry sauce, place the cornstarch and white grape juice in a saucepan and stir. Add the raspberries and DaVinci Gourmet Vanilla Sugar Free Syrup. Heat the mixture to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the raspberries break up and the mixture is thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. When ready to serve, top each piece of cake with 2 tablespoons of the chilled sauce.

Yield

8 servings


The kitchen classic of buttery toasted sugar, with a touch of vanilla.
Buy now for $7.99

Backyard Baked Beans

Simple to make, these baked beans will leave your backyard barbecue guests positively begging to know your secret ingredient!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons DaVinci Gourmet Caramel Classic Syrup
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 cans (15 oz.) small white beans, drained
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 strips bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Directions

In a heavy, medium size saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion, stir well and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, 5 minutes more. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and add the tomato paste, Da Vinci Gourmet Caramel Syrup and molasses. Add the beans and season with the dry mustard, salt and pepper. Stir to mix and reduce heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer the beans until the sauce is rich and thick and the beans have absorbed plenty of flavor, about 35-40 minutes.

Yield

8 servings
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So, if you liked flavored coffees and other hot beverages, or like to try new products in your recipes, you should definitely give DaVinci Gourment Syryps a try today. 

---BUY NOW---

If you want to try out these and other delicious syrups from DaVinci, click here to order through their online store.

---GIVEAWAY---

One lucky reader will win a bottle of each of the (3) flavors listed above to try out and enjoy for themselves.  To enter, please complete the MANDATORY ENTRY first, and then as many EXTRA ENTRIES as you like.  Make sure to add your email address with each comment, so that I can contact you if you win.
MANDATORY ENTRY: What is your favorite hot beverage besides coffee?
EXTRA ENTRIES:
EXTRA ENTRIES:
(Please leave separate entries for each, along with your email address)
1) Subscribe to my blog via email and/or become a GFC follower (2 entries each)
2) Follow me on Facebook (1 entry)
3) Enter any of my other giveaways, leaving a comment with the name of the giveaway (1entry per giveaway entered)
4) Blog about this giveaway. It must include a link to this specific post, as well as a link to my blog, http://ctmomreviews.blogspot.com/. (In your comment, please leave a link directly to your post – 3 Entries)
5) Follow me on Twitter (1entry)
6) Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per tweet, per day; please include link to tweet in comment below)
Enter to #win 3 Bottles of DaVinci Gourmet Syrup @rmccoy1234 http://ctmomreviews.blogspot.com/ #giveaway (Ends 1/6/12)
7) Vote for me on picket fence blogs (See button on right side of blog -- One entry per vote, per day; Note:  You can only your one vote per day on ONE giveaway; duplicate comments on other giveaways on the same day with be void)
8) Add to a Giveaway Linky site  (5 entries)

Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends on Jan. 6, 2012 at 11:59PM EST. I will then use Random.org to choose a winner. Winner will have 48 hrs. to respond to my email to claim prize. If I don't hear back from selected winner, I will draw another winner
About DaVinci Gourmet
DaVinci Gourmet was started in Seattle, Washington in 1989 around the time the city was making a name for itself in the coffee world. This was no coincidence. Today 20 years later, DaVinci Gourmet is an industry leader making the best and most innovative flavored syrups and gourmet sauces to delight the taste buds of consumes worldwide. And as part of its commitment to the world of coffee, the company takes great pride in being a leading sponsor of Coffee Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in coffee-growing regions around the world.
Disclosure:  I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.