Begin by hulling about 2 cups of ripe strawberries, removing the green tops and any blemishes. Place the hulled strawberries into a blender along with 1/4 cup of water. Blend everything on high speed until you achieve a smooth, vibrant puree, which may take about 1–2 minutes.

Next, pour the strawberry puree through a fine mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Use the back of a spoon to press gently on the mixture, extracting every bit of flavored liquid. This mini straining process should take around 2–3 minutes.

Once strained, stir in 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract into the strawberry puree in the saucepan. Mix well until the sugar dissolves completely. This should take about 1 minute.

Now, place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking while stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until the syrup thickens slightly.

After simmering, remove the saucepan from heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter to the thickened syrup. Stir until the butter has completely melted and incorporated into the syrup before cooling for 5–10 minutes.