How to Make Maple Candy

Maple candy boiling on a hot burner.

Make maple candy from maple syrup with a few simple steps. People enjoy tapping maple trees, gathering the sap and making their own maple syrup to create these maple candy treats. Making maple candy is a simple process. When the syrup is heated, it changes from a dark brown to a lighter brown. The syrup's consistency becomes firmer as it boils. The syrup cools and is poured into molds. Making maple candy requires patience and an attentive mind.

Things You'll Need

• 4 cups Grade A maple syrup
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• Deep cooking pan
• Candy thermometer
• Wooden spoon
• Candy molds
• Cookie sheets

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil. Record the temperature of the boiling water as registered on the candy thermomemter and then empty the water out into the sink. The water will boil at around 212 degreest.

2. Pour the maple syrup into a deep cooking pan. Add the butter and lemon extract to the syrup and mix over high heat until it dissolves.

3. Boil the syrup over high heat. Do not stir the mixture while it boils. Boil the mixture until the thermometer reads at least 233 degrees. Watch the pan to ensure that the syrup will not boil over, catch fire or burn. Once the syrup reaches the desired temperature, remove it from the heat source.

4. Allow it to cool for five minutes. The syrup cools well around 110 degrees. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it is no longer glossy in appearance. Do not stir the mixture too long, or it hardens in the pan.

5. Pour the syrup into candy molds or cookie sheets. Allow the candy to cool and then place on wax paper to dry. Do not place immediately in the refrigerator or condensation builds up inside the bowl. Cut th candy poured onto cookies sheets with kitchen shears while it is still warm and before it hardens. Try cutting the candy into strips, and then cut each strip into squares. Wear rubber gloves to prevent burning your hands.

Tips & Warnings

• Form maple candy into little balls instead of pouring into candy molds. Know how much candy you need to make. Using 4 cups of maple syrup makes 2 lbs. of candy. If you stir the syrup too long and it hardens, add a cup of water and heat the syrup slowly to dissolve sugar, then start the process over.

• Watch the syrup as it boils carefully. Turning your back for even 30 seconds can result in a kitchen fire.

References

• Maple Candy Recipe
• Maple Syrup Facts