Massachusetts Maple Producers Association

Maple Recipes

In early spring, when the warm sun finally melts the deep snow of winter, the sugarhouses of Massachusetts are bustling with activity. In them, cold, fresh sap from the sugar maple tree (acer saccharum) is boiled down in steaming hot evaporators to make pure Massachusetts maple syrup. It is not likely the taste of real maple syrup served over a plate of pancakes will ever be forgotten.

Here in Massachusetts, jugs of this wonderful syrup are bought each year by thousands of eager customers. Once at home, the syrup will also top waffles, French toast and even bowls of oatmeal. Creative cooks have found Massachusetts maple syrup adds a special flavor when baked on squash, ham or beans. Maple syrup in drinks and with fruit dishes is delicious. A dark amber grade is often used for cooking.

In a syrup producer's household, maple syrup is a common sweetener. The recipes included here are from our members. They are shared here with you.

Maple Jelly

1/2 gal. Grade A Medium Amber pure maple syrup
3 cups cold water
2 teaspoons Genugel (pectin does not work with maple syrup). Genugel is available from maple syrup equipment suppliers.

Whisk the Genugel into the cold water first, then add to syrup. Make sure the pot is at least 3 times the size of the liquid, as it foams up during boil. Boil all ingredients to 217.5°F. (Some people go to 219°F, but that makes unnecessarily hard jelly and wastes more content). Here is the tricky part - The objective is to make clear jelly in the jar. Any infusion of air through stirring or filling of the jars will put air bubbles into the jelly. It will still taste fine, but won't look as good. It helps greatly to keep a low flame under the jelly while bottling, as this stuff gels really fast and heat keeps it liquid longer. First, skim off the surface foam as minimally as possible. A lot of waste can occur at this point. Second, have a cup or ladle large enough to fill each clean jar with ONE pour. If you have to go back and add more to fill the jar, you will have air bubbles and layering. Cap the filled jars and process them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes at 180 °F. Depending on how good you are at skimming, a half gallon of syrup will net you five to seven 8 ounce jars of maple jelly. Yield is low and many people don't think it's worth the syrup or the trouble. 

Maple Mustard Salmon

Salmon fillets for four
2/3 cup melted butter
½ tbsp. dried dill
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup Dijon style mustard

Blend ingredients over low heat until melted together. Grill or broil salmon, basting and turning until flaky and done.

Orange Maple Glazed Wing

1 ½ cups buttermilk
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 oranges, seeded, peeled, and sectioned
1 tsp. cinnamon
20 chicken wings

Process first four ingredients to make a coarse puree. Put wings and puree in a gallon sized baggie and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Grill and baste with marinade until done, avoid scorching.

4-6 sea scallops per person, or 1" pieces of chicken breast
1/3 strips of bacon, 1 per scallop or chicken piece
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ tsp. horseradish

Mix syrup and horseradish. Wrap each scallop or chicken piece with 1/3 strip bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on broiler pan, brush with syrup, and broil 3 minutes. Turn, brush, and broil 2-3 minutes more, until bacon is crisp. Serve hot.

Braised Corned Beef with Maple

4 lbs. Premium corned-beef, desalted
1 cup maple syrup
optional ¼ cup bourbon)

Place desalted brisket on rack in roasting pan and bake at 325°F uncovered for half an hour. Reduce heat to 275°F, cover, and bake 2 hours. Uncover, discard all but ½ cup liquid, add maple (and bourbon), and continue baking and basting frequently for 1 hour more. Save liquid as table sauce.

2 grapefruit cut in half
½ cup maple syrup
4 tbsp. melted butter
dash cinnamon
handful golden raisins

Combine syrup, butter, and cinnamon, and spread over the cut half of each grapefruit (You may want to cut each section free before broiling). Sprinkle raisins on top. Place on broiler pan about 4" below flame and broil 2-4 minutes. Serve hot.

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, quartered, cut into half-inch slices
4 tbsp. maple syrup
¼ tsp. ground mace
4 tbsp. dark rum
2/3 cup water

Place all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Reserving the cooking liquid, transfer the squash with a slotted spoon to a heated serving dish. Boil the cooking liquid until it is thickened, then pour it over the squash. Serves 4.

Baked Beans with Maple & Rum

4 cups dry navy beans
1 lb. salt pork or ham
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup maple sugar
3 qts. water
1 large onion
1 tbsp. salt
½ cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. dry mustard
4 apples, cored & unpeeled
½ cup dark rum

Rinse beans, cover with cold water, soak overnight. Pour beans and water into large pot. Add baking soda and more water to cover beans. Bring to a boil uncovered and boil until some of the skins fall off when you blow on them. Line a bean pot with thin slices of the pork or ham, pour in beans and water. Roll onion in dry mustard completely and bury it in middle of the beans. Pour maple syrup and salt over top. Bake at 325°F for 4 to 5 hours. At the start of the last hour, place whole apples on top as close together as possible. Cream maple sugar and butter together and spread over top of apples. Pour rum over top just before serving.

5 cups sliced apples
½ cup sugar
2 tbsp. flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
dash of salt and nutmeg
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup sour cream
pastry for double crust 9" pie

Combine dry ingredients and sprinkle 2 tbsp. of it over bottom of piecrust. Add the rest to apples, along with maple and sour cream and stir. Turn into pie and cover with lattice top. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then bake at 325°F for 45 minutes longer or until nicely browned. Remove from oven and cool.

6 cups apple cider
¼ cup maple syrup
1 orange peel cut into strips
1 lemon peel cut into strips
2 cinnamon sticks
spice bag & string
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice berries

Pour cider and syrup into large pot. Place spices and peels in center of a spice bag and tie up with a piece of string. Drop spice bundle into liquid and heat over moderate flame for about 10 minutes. Remove spice bag and discard. Ladle maple cider into mugs and serve warm. Optional: garnish with a stick of cinnamon for stirring, float thin slice of lemon or orange or whipped cream on top.

1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. cilantro
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper

Mix together the first six ingredients. Whisk in oil until dressing is emulsified. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate to store for several weeks.

MAPLE NUT FUDGE
2 C. maple pure syrup
1/2 C. chopped nuts
1 T. butter
Candy thermometer
Tall sauce pan

Boil syrup and butter to 236 °F.
Remove from heat and place ina pan of cold water.
Stir vigorously until color begins to change, then add nutmeats.
Pour into well-buttered 8" or 10" square pan.
Cut into squares while still warm.


MAPLE NUT FUDGE

2 C. sugar
1 C pure maple syrup
2 T. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 C. milk
1 C. cup chopped nuts
1 T. butter
Candy thermometer
Tall sauce pan

Boil syrup, sugar, milk and corn syrup, stirring constantly until 238 °F.
Remove from heat.  Cool to 110 °F.  Add vanilla, nuts and butter.  Beat
until thick and creamy.  Pour into 8" pan and cut into squares when chilled.

Maple Macadamia Nut Parfait

Serves 4.

1 pkg. Knox gelatine
1 cup maple syrup
macadamia nuts or other available nuts
1 cup cold water

Soak gelatine in 1/4 cup cold water 5 minutes. Bring syrup to boil. Stir in gelatine-stir until clear. Add remaining cold water. Stir. Refrigerate. When mixture is almost set, beat until fluffy. Put in glasses, then into refrigerator. When serving, decorate with whipped cream, nuts, or cherries as desired.

Submitted by Mrs. Forrest Curtis.

Maple Bread Pudding

Serves 4 to 6.
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 slices bread without crusts
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1 T. butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup nutmeats or raisins
1/4 tsp. vanilla

Pour maple syrup in top of double boiler. Butter each slice of bread and cube. Add to syrup. Add nuts or raisins and lemon juice. Beat together eggs, milk, salt and vanilla and pour over bread mixture. Do not stir. Set over gently boiling water. Cook 1 hour. This makes its own sauce. Spoon it over each serving.

Submitted by Bill and Tina Schneider.

Maple Walnut Ice Cream

Makes 3 pints.

1 qt. cream pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated maple sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped hard maple sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Scald cream, dissolving into it the 1/2 cup maple sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup (or use 3/4 cup maple syrup) and the salt. Chill overnight in a glass container. Freeze in a crank ice cream freezer, adding nuts and chopped hard maple sugar before the last 20 cranks. Pack and freeze until hard.

Submitted by Judy Haupt and Tom McCrumm.

Simple Maple Sponge Cake

Serves 10-12.

1 cup maple syrup
6 eggs
1 cup flour
(1 tsp. vanilla-optional)

Separate eggs. Put whites in large bowl, yolks in medium bowl. Sift flour several times, put in small bowl. Beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Set aside. Beat yolks until light, add syrup (and vanilla if desired). Beat again to mix well. Pour yolk syrup mixture into whites and fold gently with wire whip until blended. Gradually add flour 1 tbsp. at a time while folding mixture. When blended, pour in large tube pan. (It seems to come out best for me if this pan is lightly greased with butter and dusted with flour). Bake at 325°F for about 1 hr. Cool on rack, then remove cake from pan. This cake is especially good with no frosting but berries and whipped cream.

From: Karin Cook.

Oldtime Maple Gingerbread

Serves 8.

2 cups flour
1 egg beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda

Combine and sift dry ingredients. Mix maple syrup with beaten egg and add the sour cream. Combine the mixtures and bake in moderate oven for about 40 minutes. Serve with warm maple hard sauce or whipped cream.

From: Cynthia Coolidge.

Blueberry Maple Mousse

Serves 8-10.

6 egg yolks
1 pint heavy cream
3/4 cup maple syrup, heated
1 pint blueberries

Beat yolks in bowl or top of a double boiler until thick. Beat in hot syrup. Put over simmering water and cook, beating constantly until slightly thickened. Cool. Beat cream until it forms stiff peaks and fold into the yolk mixture. Fold in half of the berries. Pour into 1 1/2 qt. mold. Freeze overnight. Before serving, garnish with remainder of berries.

From: Ruth Steins.

Maple Bars

Makes Approx. 16 Bars.

1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup sifted flour
1/2 cup soft shortening (I use 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening)
1 cup nutmeats
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

Heat oven to 350'. Grease a square pan, 8 x 8 inches. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cut into squares while still warm.

This recipe came from the Howard J. Grover Farm. Similar recipes were submitted by Debbie Burnett and Paul and Nancy Lukaskiewicz.

Maple Syrup Nut Cake

Serves 18.

2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup white sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup soft shortening
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts

Sift dry ingredients together into bowl. Add syrup, shortening and milk; beat 2 minutes. Add eggs and beat 2 minutes. Add chopped nuts and mix well. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9" pans. Bake in 350°Foven for 25 to 30 minutes. Frost.

From: Pamela Graves.

Maple Butter Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3 cups confectioners sugar
4-6 T. maple syrup

Thoroughly cream butter and sugar, adding maple syrup until light and spreadable. Add nuts and frost cake.

Submitted by: Jo Burnett.

Easy Maple Squares

3 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 cup dark maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix in order given. Pour into 13 x 9 pan, bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Do not over bake.

Submitted by: Vera Lesure.
 

Maple Walnut Cream Pie

Serves 8.

2 cups milk
dash of salt
2 cups maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
3 well-beaten egg yolks
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
6 T. flour
1/2 cup yogurt or whipped cream

Combine milk, syrup, egg yolks, flour in double boiler. Cook slowly over simmering water-about 1/2 hour. Add dash of salt and vanilla. Pour in baked pie shell. Sprinkle with half the nuts. Chill. Shortly before serving spread on yogurt or whipped cream and sprinkle on the rest of the nuts.

From: Carolyn Westwood.

Maple Oatmeal Drops

Makes 4 Dozen Cookies.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 egg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 cup maple syrup (dark)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dairy sour cream
1 1/4 cups rolled oats (quick)

In a small bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, maple syrup and sour cream. Beat well. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in oats. Drop by spoonful on greased pan. Bake at 375°F 8 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar.

From: Florence Phelps.

Maple Mocha Topping

Makes 2 Cups for Ice Cream or Angel Cake.

2 egg whites (beaten until stiff)
2 tsp. instant coffee
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup maple syrup

Beat until thickened-serve over ice cream or angel cake.

From: Fay Bottum.

Maple Walnut Squares

24 Bars I 1/2 cups flour 2 eggs (beaten) 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp. flour 1/2 cup butter 1/4 tsp. salt 1 cup maple syrup 1/2 tsp. vanilla 2/3 cup sugar (1/3 maple, 1/3 brown) 1 cup walnuts (chopped) Combine flour. 1/4 cup sugar and butter in bowl. With fork, mix until consistency of fine corn meal. Press mix into greased 9" x 13" pan. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and syrup in small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour over beaten eggs. stirring constantly. Stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts. Pour mix over baked crust. Sprinkle with nuts and bake at 350' for 20-25 minutes. Cool in pan and cut in bars.

From: LeAnn Mason.

Maple Walnut Pie

Serves 6 to 8.

2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup water (use fresh maple sap in season)
3/4 cup walnut halves or pieces
Pastry for one 8" or 9" pie shell

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add flour all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is golden brown. Add syrup and water and cook, whisking constantly until thickened. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add nuts. Pour warm filling into prepared pit shell. Bake at 350°F on center rack of oven 35 to 40 minutes or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. cool on wire rack. May be decorated with nuts, pastry maple leaves, etc. Best if garnished with whipped cream .

Submitted by: Patricia Wells.