Maple Snow Candy
A sweet treat from my childhood. This is easy to make and it helps to make a snowy day all the more worthwhile. I hope it becomes a tradition for you too.
A sweet treat from my childhood. This is easy to make and it helps to make a snowy day all the more worthwhile. I hope it becomes a tradition for you too.
- Carbohydrate 13.501862517204 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0402500000512862 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0.00724500000923152 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (20g)
- Sodium 1.81125000230788 mg
- Sugar 13.501862517204 g
- Trans Fat 4.33680868994202E-18 g
- Calories 53 calories
Step-by-step
- first you fill the pan or pans with fresh Packed snow and set aside either outside or in freezer where it will stay cold.
- pour maple syrup into a 4 Qt. pan and heat gradually until syrup begins to boil. Make sure to adjust temp when it gets to a rolling boil so it doesn't boil over.
- after a very short time on heat just low enough to keep it a rolling boil, the bubbles will begin to change both color and consistency. There is no need to stir at all but you must monitor constantly. Do not walk away and you will be rewarded!
- in the beginning it boils with a lot of large bubbles. It will be a light amber color. If you use a thermometer then heat the syrup to about 234 degrees F. A higher heat will make a stiffer candy. I actually don't use a thermometer. It's how we did it growing up and you can too.
- as the hot syrup nears the candy stage, there will be fewer and fewer large bubbles and the mass will become more foamy in consistency. Very quickly after this it should become uniform in consistency and the amber mass will take on a more glassy appearance. This means it is ready to pour - you have attained liquid candy!
- grab your pan(s) of snow. Pour the liquid in a thin stream onto the snow. Liquid is very hot so be careful! Try not to pour too much on top of itself as it will be too thick. The candy will cool very rapidly on the snow. The result will be a chewy, glassy looking taffy like candy. You only need to wait 10-15 seconds as the snow will rapidly cool the candy. You can use your fingers or a fork to eat it.
- make sure to collect your candy out of the snow if you don't eat it all right away. If you leave it in the snow too long it will begin to melt.
Operating without a candy thermometer requires watching the boiling sugar shift from large, amber-colored bubbles to a dense, foamy consistency that signals the target 234 degrees Fahrenheit has been reached. Success hinges on absolute vigilance at the stove, because maple syrup transitions rapidly from liquid to burnt solids if left unattended for even a few seconds. Packed, freshly gathered snow chilled tightly inside a lasagna pan provides the necessary thermal shock to instantly halt the cooking process upon contact.
Textural failure occurs immediately if the hot syrup is poured too thickly in a single piled mound or left sitting in melting moisture for longer than fifteen seconds. Drizzle the stream thinly and spread it across the surface to achieve a chewy, glassy taffy rather than a hard, unyielding brittle lump.
Pairing this intensely sweet confection requires balancing the palate against pure sucrose overload. Salty, roasted unshelled peanuts or sharp, aged cheddar cheese provide the necessary savory counterweight to cut through the concentrated sugar profile. Strong, unsweetened black coffee cleanses the palate effectively between bites.
Adjusting the technique for indoor adaptations involves substituting crushed ice packed firmly into a metal baking dish if outdoor snow is unavailable or suspect in quality.
