How Maple Sugar Is Made

Maple Sugar Candy is made by first concentrating Maple Syrup further by boiling. This hot Maple Syrup concentrate is stirred until very fine sugar crystals form. Temperature and timing are crucial - while still fluid, it is poured into maple leaf shaped molds where it quickly sets and becomes solid.


Maple Sugar is a totally natural candy, made entirely from the sap of the Sugar Maple tree.

Quick Bits: Maple Candy

Sweet Marie's post about the sugar-on-snow (which I've never tasted) got me curious about Maple candy.

The 18th Century Cuisine blog has an short entry with some photos about boiling down sap and making maple sugar.

Baking911.com has a page on maple candy which talks about the various types of maple candy. Here are the ones they list:

• Maple Sugar (Granulated or Molded)
• "Crunchy" Hard Maple Sugar
• Molded Soft Sugar Candy
• Maple Spread (Cream or Butter)
• Maple Fondant or Nougat (Ohio Maple Cream)
• "Jack Wax" or "Maple on Snow"

I assume the last one is the same as "Sugar on Snow". Apparently their source was Ohio State U., I wonder what other regional names there are for different maple candies like "Sugar on Snow". I kinda like "Jack Wax", though it doesn't sound too appetizing.

If you're in a rush, Astray has a 14 minute Maple Candy recipe ...

Make Your Own Sugar-On-Snow

Most maple fans have had the experience of visiting a maple farm during syrup season and being treated to a sticky helping of sugar-on-snow. The traditional maple treat is made from nothing but pure maple syrup, however, if you tried to pour the bottle from your fridge on the snow bank in your yard, you'd be sorely disappointed. What's the trick? Unlike hardwood carving, you CAN try this at home... (Ask your Mom and Dad first) Boil approximately 1 cup of pure maple syrup (Aunt Jemima's won't work!) until it reaches 236 F on a candy thermometer. If you boil the syrup a little less, it will be very soft and sticky. It you boil it a little longer, it will be more brittle. Pour syrup directly over clean snow or crushed ice. You may pour small round servings, or choose to pour strips which can then be rolled onto a popsicle stick. Either way, prepare to get sticky, and watch out for loose fillings!

World's Largest Maple Sugar Candy Doesn't Make It Into Guinness

From The Shoreline Beacon's article "No Guiness record for maple candy":

Saugeen Valley Conservation Foundation is still puzzling over its failure to win a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for creating the largest Maple Sugar Candy.

The giant confection lost out to an oversize metal sap bucket.

"It was in a category we were rather surprised (about)," said spokesperson Shannon Wood. "They actually lumped us together with the largest sap bucket in the world. We really couldn’t figure out how you compare apples to apples in that respect."

Not having a Guiness Book handy, I turned to Google and the most recent reference I could find for a world-record setting sap bucket was one built in Elmira, Ontario, about 6 years ago, which was 40 inches tall and held 133 gallons. It's big but not really THAT impressive, however the 1,469 lb jack o' lantern carved by Scott Cully from the world's largest pumpkin back in October 31, 2005, now that's impressive!