Soft Maple Sugar Candy Food

PURE MAPLE CANDY

Steps:

• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the maple syrup to a boil over medium-high heat stirring occasionally. Boil until syrup reaches 235 degrees F (110 degrees C) on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat and cool to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C) without stirring, about 10 minutes.
• Stir mixture rapidly with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until the color turns lighter and mixture becomes thick and creamy. Stir in chopped nuts, if desired.
• Pour into molds. Set aside to cool. Once cool, unmold candy. Store in airtight containers up to 1 month.

MAPLE SYRUP CANDY

Steps:

• Cook syrup in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool to 200 degrees.
• Stir constantly until syrup becomes sugary.
• Pour into molds (something about the size of a caramel candy).
• When candy is cool, you can remove from molds.

MAPLE SYRUP CANDIES

Steps:

• Fill a large pot partially with water. Bring to a boil, and note the temperature of the boiling water with a candy thermometer. (Since water boils at different temperatures in different locations, it is important to follow this step.) Set some candy molds into a jelly-roll pan. Set aside. (If using metal or wood molds, lightly grease them.)
• Empty the large pot and place the syrup in it. Add a few drops of oil. (Boiling maple syrup will foam up; the oil keeps the foam down. Buttering the rim of the pot will also help.)
• Boil carefully over high heat, without stirring, until the temperature of the boiling syrup is 28°F/17°C above the boiling point of your water (212°F/100°C at sea level).
• Remove from the heat and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not stir or disturb the candy at this point; if the thermometer is attached to the pan, leave it there during the cooling period.
• Stir evenly until the liquid loses its gloss, starts to become opaque, and begins to thicken. (This is the tricky part; if you stir too long the thickened syrup will "set up," or harden, in the pan. If this happens, add a cup of water, and reheat slowly to dissolve the sugar, then start over. But if you don't stir long enough, the sugar may not "set up" in the molds at all.)
• Carefully pour the candy into the molds. It's helpful to have an assistant spread the syrup in the molds while you continue to pour the mixture into the other molds.
• Allow the candies to cool, remove from the molds, place on a rack to dry for a few hours, and enjoy.

CARAMELS

Steps:

• Combine the maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, condensed milk, corn syrup and salt in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture reaches 245 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Take from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into a 6-inch square baking pan lined with parchment and allow to cool and set about 3 hours.
• Take the caramel from the pan and, using a very sharp knife gently sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cut the caramels into squares and wrap in wax paper or candy wrappers (see Cook's Note). Store in a cool dry place.

MAPLE CANDY

Steps:

• Line the bottom and sides of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper; brush the parchment with vegetable oil. Bring the maple syrup to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then reduce the heat to medium low. Dip the back of a spoon in vegetable oil and run it over the top of the foam to help it subside. Increase the heat to medium and continue cooking until a candy thermometer registers 246 degrees F, 25 to 30 minutes. Pour the syrup into a heatproof bowl and let cool, 5 minutes.
• Beat the syrup with a mixer on medium-low speed until it starts to lighten in color and turn opaque, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour into the prepared pan and spread with an offset spatula; let cool completely, about 1 hour. Lift out of the pan and cut into pieces.

MAPLE FUDGE WITH MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with waxed paper. Butter the paper.
• Bring maple syrup, heavy cream, and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue to boil, without stirring, until mixture starts to bubble and registers 240 degrees F (166 degrees C) on a candy thermometer.
• Remove from heat. Add butter and salt but do not mix. Let sit until mixture reaches 105 degrees F (41 degrees C).
• Add walnuts and vanilla; beat until mixture loses its gloss. Pour into the prepared pan and let cool to room temperature. Cut, wrap, and store in the refrigerator.

SOFT MAPLE SUGAR CANDY

Steps:

• heat maple syrup to a temperature of approximately 32-34oF above the boiling temperature of pure water (212 degrees F at sea level).
• pour the syrup into a flat pan or trough and allow it to cool undisturbed to at least 200F but not less than 160°F.
• stir until the syrup is soft and plastic.
• pour or pack it into molds. Molded candies commonly set up in 10 to 30 minutes. Candies formed by pouring rather than packing will have an attractive glazed surface.

MAPLE LEAF CANDY

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• If you are using candy molds, prepare by spraying them lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Take a paper towel and wipe off most of the spray; you want just a very thin coating of nonstick spray on the inside.
• Pour the syrup into a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan and place it over medium heat. (The syrup will bubble up quite a bit, so make sure that the saucepan is large enough so that it will not easily boil over the top.)
• Bring the syrup to a boil; this can take about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Insert a candy thermometer and add the butter.
• Stir until the butter is fully melted and incorporated.
• Continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 240 F on the candy thermometer ( soft-ball stage ), about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir the candy vigorously with a wooden spoon until it thickens, lightens in color, and turns opaque, which should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop stirring once it reaches this point because if you continue to stir, it will start to set in the pan and become difficult to pour into the molds.
• Working quickly, spoon the candy into the candy molds.
• Smooth the tops with a small offset spatula.
• Once the candy is poured, it will start to set quickly. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
• Pop them out of the molds.

MAPLE BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and beat on high until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and maple extract, then beat on high speed until combined.
• Pour the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then mix on low until combined. Add the pecans, then beat on low speed until combined. Dough will be creamy and soft.
• Cover and chill the dough for 2 hours in the refrigerator (and up to 3-4 days). If chilling for longer than a few hours, though, allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking because the dough will be quite hard.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
• Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons of dough per cookie. This cookie scoop is helpful. Bake each batch for 12-13 minutes until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
• Remove from the oven. If your warm cookies look puffy, lightly bang the pan on the counter when you remove it from the oven. That will help slightly deflate the cookies, creating lovely cracks as you see in the pictured cookies. Cool cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and maple syrup together, whisking occasionally. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and whisk in the sifted confectioners' sugar. Taste. Add a pinch of salt, if desired. Drizzle over cooled cookies. Icing will set after about 1 hour.
• Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.