Maple Cream aka Maple Butter
Maple Butter, Maple Spread, Maple Cream, whatever you want to call it, now that you know it exists you're doomed. IT'S deadly DELICIOUS and it only takes one ingredient. Maple syrup.
If you've never had maple butter I need you to stand at attention and listen for once. You need to make it right now. There is only one ingredient - maple syrup. Maple butter is solid, creamy, spreadable maple syrup.
HOW EASY IS IT TO MAKE?
Like all delicious things it's kind of complicated. Here's what you need to do.
Pay close attention to the following instructions:
BOIL MAPLE SYRUP ... THEN STIR IT. Yup. That's all there is to it.
People overuse the word miracle all the time because they have no respect for the true meaning of it. If they can fit in their pants after Christmas they say it's a miracle. That's not a miracle, that's Spandex.
Maple butter however, is a maple miracle.
I make my own maple syrup by tapping my own maple tree and trees in my neighbourhood. So I've been trying to figure out a few different ways to use it beyond hiding behind a curtain and chugging it straight out of the bottle.
Enter Maple Cream. (Maple butter and maple cream are the same thing)
Table of Contents
What's maple cream aka maple butter?
It's maple syrup that's been (miraculously) transformed into a creamy, spreadable, butter-like consistency through a process of crystallization.
It's meant to be spread on English muffins, or toast or even ... on a grilled cheese with bacon and green apples.
I prefer to eat the maple butter by taping the jar to my head and licking my way to the bottom like an anteater.
So you want to make some?
Let's do this.
How to Make Maple Cream
What You Need
Wooden spoon
Icecubes
Maple Syrup
Bowl
2 pots
Thermometer
- Pour 3 cups of light to medium maple syrup into a pot.
Do it with flair.
2. Boil over medium/low heat WITHOUT STIRRING until the syrup reaches 235 F.
3. Immediately pour syrup into a pot set in an ice bath. Let stand WITHOUT STIRRING until the syrup cools to 100 F. (this will take around 10 minutes)
Please enjoy this Little House on the Prairie moment ... I didn't have enough ice for an ice bath so I went outside and pulled some frozen sap out of my sap buckets to use as ice.
4. Once the syrup has lowered in temperature to 100 F., remove the pot from the ice bath and start stirring.
Don't stir like a crazy person, you don't want to beat air into it. You just want to stir it. You will be stirring for a long time. Like, half an hour. I focused on watching television to get my mind off of my sore arm.
Eventually the syrup will start to lighten (after about 15 minutes of stirring) and then you have to keep stirring. Once it gets to be this very light colour, you don't have long to go.
5. Continue to stir the syrup until it goes from shiny to dull and holds its shape as you run the spoon through it. This means it's set up, the crystallization process is complete and you can STOP STIRRING!
6. Immediately pour it into your containers before it sets up too much to pour.
You now have maple cream which you stirred by hand which makes you a badass.
It's now that I let you know you can also use a stand mixer to do this. But then you won't be a badass with maple cream you'll just be some schmo with maple cream. The choice is yours.
To do it with a stand mixer, instead of stirring it by hand use the stand mixer set to "stir", or "low" with the paddle attachment. Whichever your stand mixer has as the lowest setting. Don't forget to scrape down the sides.
Maple butter will last for 6 months in the refrigerator. Which is a handy little tip in case you take a blow to the head and forget you own delicious Maple butter. (There would be no other explanation for not eating it all in a week.)
The difference in these two forms of maple syrup is amazing. It is the exact same thing, just the structure of it has changed through the heating and then stirring of it to achieve crystallization.
The crystals are so small your tongue can't detect them.
`
Every person I've had taste this has had the same reaction. Their eyes roll into the back of their heads.
Traditional Maple Cream
Ingredients
- 3 cups Maple Syrup Light - Medium
Instructions
- Bring the Maple Syrup to a boil in a pot over medium/low heat. Boil until it reaches 235 degrees F. without stirring then remove from heat immediately. This will take around 15 minutes.
- While the syrup is boiling get an ice bath ready with a pot set in a bowl of ice.
- As soon as it has reached 235 degrees F, pour the boiled syrup into the pot set in the ice bath. Leave it until it the syrup drops in temperature to 100 degrees F. Don't disturb it at all while it rests.
- Once at 100 degrees F. remove the pot from the ice bath and start stirring. Don't stir vigorously ... you don't want to beat air into the syrup ... just stir it.
- Keep stirring. The syrup will start to lighten. Keep stirring. After about 30 minutes of stirring the syrup will be very light and resemble tahini but still be glossy with the consistency of cream. KEEP STIRRING.
- The syrup will now finish crystallizing, set up and be come duller. Once your spoon starts to leave paths in the syrup you can stop stirring.
- Pour the Maple Cream into your jars right away before it becomes to difficult to pour.
Notes
Nutrition
If you're wondering about that whole grilled cheese thing I mentioned at the beginning, this is the sandwich I'm thinking of trying it on. I realize maple syrup on a grilled cheese sandwich might sound gross, but it's not. It's a miracle.
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Are there any considerations to be made for high altitude? It lightened in color as I stirred but went "solid" all of a sudden. It was never really creamy. It was pretty stiff even at 100 degrees. I would appreciate any suggestions! Rated on success only!
Well, I FINALLY made this after having it bookmarked for almost 2 years. It is delicious! But man oh man were my arms tired. I stirred for an hour. It didn't start to lighten up until then. I finished it with a single beater on my hand mixer for another 10 minutes. It hasn't been in the frig yet. I'm interested in how firm it will get. It does tasty creamy and dreamy
Thank you for this recipe. I am excited to try it. My question is can you “can” or somehow preserve it for it to last longer or sit on a shelf. I wanted to make it for Christmas gifts.
Hello thank you for sharing this recipe. I should have read the comments first. I just finished pouring it into jars but it is not the texture like you show for the end results. After 60 minutes of stirring, and yes I was a schmo and used the electric mixer, it just didn't advance. We used a thermometer to gage the temperature, we did not stir while boiling and cooling. And we used our home made maple syrup.
Any suggestions or advise would be appreciated as I'm sure I will try again.
Karen, this looks delish and I’m trusting you when you say that it’s easy to make! I would love to make maple cream to give at Christmas so…how much maple cream does 3 cups maple syrup make?
I’d like to know too. I hope it is more than that little jar she has in the picture. Maple butter is divine!
"The crystals are so small your tongue can't detect them."
As the next picture downloaded slowly onto the page, I just knew it would be a picture of your tongue.
It wasn't. I'm a little disappointed. Lol.
Also, MAPLE CREAM HOT BUTTERED RUM!!!!!!
w / cinnamon!!!
Need I say more? 😁
Hello, I found your blog looking for a way to cream maple syrup .
I raise honey bees and make creamed honey, which people love!
My question is what happens if you run the mixer on higher speed?
I know it will introduce air and that is okay, I want to make a lighter
more fluffy if you will product.
IF I goof and do not achieve the results I want, can I simply re-melt the syrup and try again?
Thank you for your time,
Hi Larry! You can try it and just see what happens! I'm all for experimenting. Although you may end up with a very grainy product instead of something incredibly smooth. ~ karen!
Ok..well I can tell you what happens when you beat too high. You basically get maple fudge. Not a bad thing but it’s definitely no cream. It’s solid and has the crystals like fudge. Gonna try again and leave it on stir. I had ready another recipe that called for medium speed. NOPE! Lol
Maple Cream and Maple Butter are two different products. It should not say they are the same thing. They are far from the same.
So…….what is the difference?
Maple Cream is made from maple syrup only.
Maple Butter is made with maple syrup and butter.
Both are great.
You forgot the warning: "Will cause Maple Orgasms". I love this stuff. My family has a small maple syrup business in western NY. Nothing like eating maple cream. Truly a miracle !
It really is! And yes, a maple orgasm is like no other, lol ~ karen!
I reserved some maple syrup this year just for maple cream. I was gifted a jar some years ago and loved it. I’ve bought a few jars as a special treat to myself but this year I’m making my own. It’s a miracle I found your recipe as I was ready to try another. It has absolutely vanished from the 150 tabs I have open. 😉 so I searched. “Traditional” piqued my interest. Not only did your recipe make logical sense, knowing the characteristics of Maple Syrup from boiling it from sap, you have punctuated it with candid humour that had me LingOL and reading it to anyone who’d listen. I was quite intimidated by the process as some have tried and ended up with rock hard “cream” but now I’m ready with my grandmother’s wooden spoon, icecubes I just happen to make two days ago, and my own maple premium syrup. I’m sending this message before I make it because you’ll probably never hear from me again. I don’t expect this to fail as you have been exhaustively thorough so I won’t be writing to tell you how good it is. You know what I’ll be doing!!
So easy! And OMG delicious! I’ll definitely be making this often!!!
Isn't it ridiculously delicious?! And so smooth you can barely feel it in your mouth. ~ karen!