Hard Maple Candy Recipes

HARD MAPLE CANDY

Steps:

• Grease a 15x10x1-in. pan with butter; set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and water. Cook over medium-high heat until a candy thermometer reads 300° (hard-crack stage), stirring occasionally. , Remove from the heat; stir in maple flavoring. Immediately pour into prepared pan; cool. Break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

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 SUGAR CANDY

Steps:

• Place maple in a small saucepan and bring up to 280 degrees F. Dip a spoon into the syrup and drizzle desired shapes onto a sheet pan sprayed with vegetable oil or lined with a silpat. Let cool completely so "candies" come off the sheet pan easily. Eat as is or use as a garnish.

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.

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 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.

HARD MAPLE TAFFY

Steps:

• Oil a large marble slab or other heatproof work surface (see note, above), a bench knife (see note, above), a large knife (not serrated), and scissors. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cut butter into bits. In a 3- or 4-quart saucepan cook maple syrup over low heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, corn syrup, water, salt, and baking soda and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until sugar is completely dissolved, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to moderate and cook mixture, without stirring, until a candy or digital thermometer registers 235°F. Add cream, butter, and extract and boil, without stirring, until thermometer registers 255°F., about 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat and immediately pour mixture onto oiled work surface. Cool mixture 2 minutes (do not touch mixture; it will be very hot).
• With oiled bench knife lift and fold edges of candy toward center to form a 4- by 2-inch loaf. With bench knife continuously flip loaf over until barely cool enough to handle. With oiled hands pick up taffy. Working over work surface, pull ends of taffy loaf away from each other and bring hands together to fold in half. (Use caution because taffy will be cooler on surface than in center; it will cool and harden rapidly as it is pulled.) Release one hand and with it pick up folded end of taffy. Holding ends and working rhythmically, continue to pull and fold taffy (it will turn from a sticky mass to a golden, streaked ribbon) until it begins to feel firm and starts to harden. Put taffy down on work surface and pull into a 20-inch length. With oiled knife cut taffy into fourths. Pull and twist each fourth into an even 15-inch "rope," about 1/4 inch thick. With oiled scissors cut taffy ropes into 3/4-inch pieces and arrange in one layer, without touching, on baking sheets. Let taffy stand at room temperature until hard, about 1 hour.
• Individually wrap taffy pieces in wax paper or candy wrappers or layer between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container. Taffy keeps at cool room temperature 2 weeks.