I feel like calling anything 2-Ingredient This or 3-Ingredient That these days is major click-bait, but the simple truth is that this whipped cream is so stupid-easy, even the dessert-challenged (like yours truly) can make it. Calling this a recipe is kind of a joke—consider it more of a how-to.

I’m not sure if it was a health thing or a flavor thing, but growing up, my mom and grandmother always used maple syrup to sweeten whipped cream (that side of the family was sugar-phobic before it was cool). No family holiday was complete without it. It wasn’t until many, many years later that it occurred to me that sugar was the “normal” way to make whipped cream, but I could never switch now. “Normal” is overrated. Aside from being delicious, maple syrup boasts minerals like zinc and manganese plus some antioxidants.

Use this to dress up a humble cup of fruit, or add a dollop to a slice of cake, pie, or other confection. You can even use a spoonful of whatever’s leftover on your coffee the next morning. That is, if you manage not to lick the bowl totally clean. And yes, half my motivation for writing this post was to have an excuse to write “dollop.”

Just keep in mind that, light and fluffy as whipped cream is, it’s still far from a low-calorie food, so a little goes a long way. Consider it a garnish. Sure, you could use stevia or some other calorie-free sweetener, but the maple syrup is so delicious, you’d really be missing out.

2-Ingredient Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon real maple syrup

Directions:

1. Pour ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a hand mixer, beat ingredients until fluffy. Serve immediately.

Makes ~ ¾ cup whipped cream

What’s your favorite dessert?