Learning Centre - Usage
Pure Maple Syrup – It has many different uses. It is most commonly used as a topping for: Pancakes, waffles, French toast and ice cream. It can also be used for flavouring milk, coffee, and yogurt or to sweeten cereal and oatmeal. It is also an excellent glaze for many types of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables; it is excellent on salmon, carrots, squash and parsnips. Today there are thousands of recipes for cooking with pure maple syrup. It can be substituted or used as a sweetener in a lot of different recipes. Although there are different grades and color classes for maple syrup it doesn’t mean one is better than the other, it is all a matter of taste and preference.
- 1) Grade Golden: This class has a light to more pronounced golden colour and a delicate or mild maple flavour and can be used many ways other than toppings. It is excellent for salad dressings, soups and sauces. This syrup is also great for making other pure maple products such as: Pure maple butter, pure maple cream and maple suckers. Preferred by consumers who prefer a lighter coloured maple syrup with a delicate or mild taste.
- 2) Grade Amber: This syrup has a light amber colour and a rich or full-bodied taste. It is the most commonly used syrup for toppings. It is an excellent good all-round use maple syrup. Used as a topping, for cooking or as a sweetener for most recipes. Preferred by consumers who like a full-bodied tasting syrup of medium taste intensity.
- 3) Grade Dark: This syrup is dark in colour and has a more robust or stronger taste than syrup in lighter colour classes. It is highly recommended for sweetening your coffee or as a substitute in cooking, although many still desire its strong taste for toppings. Consumers prefer this syrup for its dark colour, with its stronger more robust taste. This grade of syrup makes excellent boiled frosting!
- 4) Grade Very Dark: This syrup class has a very strong taste. It is generally used for cooking but many consumers do prefer it for table usage. Preferred by consumers who like a syrup with a very strong taste! Often used for the maple syrup cleanse.
We are often asked "Which grade is the best?" No grade is better than the other, it is whatever you prefer. Taste the different grades and you may find you will like each for different reasons. Many consumers often choose the darker grades for cooking while many choose the lighter grades for toppings.
Maple Syrup with Vanilla or Cinnamon can be used anywhere you use pure maple syrup. The vanilla and cinnamon just add a nice twist to an already favourite topping. Try sweetening your coffee or lattes with it.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup is used where you would use the regular maple syrup. Use it as a topping, mix it in a cocktail, sweeten your coffee or even do some cooking with it. Let us know your favourite use of it.
Pure Maple Butter or Spread Is most commonly spread on toast. It is great on toasted bagels or hot biscuits. It can be used as an icing for cakes or topping for plain homemade doughnuts. It makes a quick sweet crepe filling or try it with cinnamon on toast. Put some with sweet potato or squash and top with toasted pecans. Use a dollop with hot apple pie and sharp cheddar cheese. Can also be dissolved in coffee or licked right off the spoon.
Pure Maple Cream is eaten like a fudge or candy. It can also be dissolved in coffee or broken up and sprinkled on hot oatmeal. Try grating it and using it for a sweet garnish or a dessert topping.
Pure Maple Taffy is kept frozen until it’s ready to be consumed. Remove from the freezer and let sit for an hour at room temperature. Or it could be placed in the microwave for a couple of minutes. Once soft and gooey it is ready for your taste buds to enjoy. Most people eat it with a spoon right out of the dish or container. Freeze the remaining taffy as soon as you’re done or it will turn sugary if left unfrozen.
Maple Jelly is consumed the same way most jams or jellies are eaten. It is most commonly spread on toast, bread or biscuits. You could try it on waffles, French toast or pancakes. You can also spread it as the middle of a layer cake. Use your imagination.
Pure Granulated Maple Sugar can be used to sweeten most anything. It can be substituted anywhere in cooking. It is more concentrated than maple syrup so it may provide a much more intense maple flavor to your meal. Substitute 1 cup maple sugar for 1 cup of white sugar. It dissolves well in hot beverages and makes a perfect garnish for whip cream.
Maple Roasted Nuts are consumed as they are right out of the bag, eaten like a snack. You could try chopping them slightly and adding them to your favourite salad. Or sprinkle them on your favourite ice cream or sundae.
Maple Cookies are excellent on their own or after a meal with a hot cup of tea.
Maple Candies and lollipops are best savoured slowly in your mouth. They are very brittle and hard to crunch so be careful.
Maple Cookies and Maple Cream Leaves are often used as a decoration for cakes or as a garnish for many maple dishes. Be creative!
Pure Maple Syrup and Maple Cream Leaves make excellent wedding favours. They also make nice additions for your welcome bags for your next conference!
The possibilities are endless for maple products. Try some of the many recipes on-line or found in one of the many maple cookbooks that are available. Use your imagination and come up with your own. If you find or create an amazing wonderful dish, send it to us and maybe we can share it with the rest of our maple followers.