italian dessert recipes

Maple Candy Recipe

"Four ingredients plus a candy thermometer!"


This maple candy recipe is one of those easy Italian dessert recipes.

We use syrups quite a bit to glaze some of our Italian cakes. And most people use it on pancakes. This recipe just takes a syrup and turns it into candy.

I found this recipe in my grandma's cookbook that was put together by her and her Italian friends. It was a fundraiser cookbook. It's another good one. I have yet to be dissapointed in these little ladies cooking skills!

Don't skimp on using a candy thermometer. UNLESS you are a super duper pro at knowing where that hard crack stage is. I always *think* I am good enough to gauge by my eye - and *POOF* I ruin a recipe.

So if you rely on the thermometer, this recipe is a cinch. It really is easy. Hardly any ingredients and just follow the directions.

If you like making the easy stuff scroll below to see other easy cake recipes and easy to make cookies. And thanks for stopping by!

See substitutions and FAQs below.




Maple Candy Recipe

YIELD:About 1/2 a pound

Ingredients

1 cup maple flavored syrup

1/2 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of white vinegar

2 teaspoons of baking soda



Procedure

 * Place in 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over MEDIUM heat.

* Stir till sugar dissolves.

* Cook without stirring until hard-crack stage or till candy thermometer registers 300 degrees.

* Remove from heat.

* Quickly stir in the 2 teaspoons of baking soda and mix well.

* Immediately pour into a 9 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Don't spread it.

* Let it cool.

* Break into pieces.

NOTE: Be super duper watchful on this recipe. The syrup gets to 300 degrees. You can burn yourself if the syrup touches your skin. Although this is an easy recipe. I am not comfortable making this with younger children around.



Recipe originally published by Better Homes and Gardens at least twenty five years ago.





What is hard crack stage?

It's basically where all moisture is out of the candy. If you drop the HOT candy into a cup of water you want to see brittle threads. I use a thermometer. I've never quite mastered eye-balling it. This video gives a good demonstration.
Hard Crack Stage Demo


Can I add nuts?

Sure. I do. I just left this maple candy recipe in it's basic form the way my grandma has/had it in her cookbook. I add them after the hard crack stage right after the baking soda.


What happens if I leave out the baking soda?

You will have really gross hard syrup that won't spread. This is actually the cool part. Give it a shot. This is a typical way of making a sticky syrupy sweet substances become spreadable.


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See my home page - Italian Dessert Recipes.






Easy Cake Recipes








lisa gianotti I love sugar and I eat dessert EVERYDAY! Ok, not MASSIVE amounts. But I do have to finish off the evening meal with a little sweet something.

When I was a kid my health conscience mother would ration my Halloween candy. Her mantra was, "white sugar will kill you". But my Italian grandma always told me, "Everybody needs a little bit of sugar." :-) So, to get my October Halloween sugar fix I will make the traditional Italian cookie recipe, Venetian Bones of the Dead. Italians make these for the Day of the Dead on November 2nd. So - hey, our holiday in America - Halloween is the closest.

So - while the neighborhood is slamming down a bunch of gross mass produced candy on October 31st, I'll have a real goodie. Oh yeah, I'll have to post it too! (Eventually!) You know how it is. Work. Kids. Clean. Cook.



I'll see if Bones Of The Dead is in my grandma's first recipe file she started when she married in 1932. Most of the recipes on my site came from her influence. If they aren't in her file - then I got them from her friends. And the remainder I experimented with adapting her style.

I hope she looks down and smiles this Halloween.

Lisa


Would you like to share this page? You know how to do it! Thanks for sharing the sugar love!



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Recipes on this site are from family cookbooks, family traditions, or intentional adaptations from traditional recipes to add an Italian flair. If a recipe was adapted or used from another cook - it is mentioned on the recipe page and the recipe author is given credit.