maple taffy on snow

This traditional Quebec recipe consists of making fondant confectionery from the Maple syrup. It is heated and then fired over snow, hence its name. The soft candy thus obtained is traditionally eaten with a stick, or quite simply with a spoon. We tell you all about maple taffy on snow.

Behind the name “maple taffy on snow” hides a fairly simple process for obtaining a delicious traditional Canadian confectionery. To obtain it, maple syrup is heated and literally shot on snow. It is by cooling that it gains its consistency of candy, so it is traditionally poured onto clean, flattened snow for quick cooling.

This soft candy is entirely made of concentrated maple syrup. It's healthier than store-bought candies because it contains only maple syrup concentrated into a kind of thick caramel.

Maple taffy on snow is traditionally consumed during what is known as the sugaring-off season. This is a lapse of a few weeks during the spring, the only time of the year when the sap from the maple trees can be harvested The sap is then heated to give the maple syrup that we all know, but also the maple sugar.

The term sugar season dates from the native tribes. They had already observed the cycles of these generous trees and realized when the sap of the sugar maples could be harvested. For a few weeks from March to April, the temperatures are just enough to freeze at night and thaw during the day. The tree then fills with water that it sucks up from the ground and it gorges itself on the nutrients present in the tree.

Want to try a fun recipe this winter? Why not try a batch of maple taffy on homemade snow? You only need two ingredients: clean snow and maple syrup. We advise you to bring a cooking thermometer to monitor the temperature of the caramel.

Start by pouring the maple syrup into a heavy-bottomed, high-sided saucepan. Heat it over medium heat until it boils. Let boil for fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, pour clean snow or crushed ice into a rectangular dish, such as a baking dish. Keep the dish in the freezer if the ambient temperature is too high.

Check the temperature of your maple taffy regularly. You have to be careful when heating the maple syrup because the temperature rises very slowly, then faster and faster. When the thermometer reads 114°C, remove the pan from the heat. Then pour the caramel into a container fitted with a spout and suitable for heat. Take your snow or ice dish out of the cold and pour your maple taffy over it, forming small strips.

Once the maple taffy begins to solidify, you can wrap it around a wooden stick to form like little lollipops, and enjoy!

Want to get your kids involved? Suggest that they scoop up the clean snow and pack it into the dish. As maple taffy requires the manipulation of caramel at a high temperature, it is preferable that children stay away from it during preparation. However, you can ask the oldest to try rolling the maple taffy on the sticks.

Be careful, to avoid burns, we ask children (and older ones) to count to 10 before eating the maple taffy, even if we think it has cooled down enough!

No thermometer? You can use very cold water to test the consistency of your maple taffy. From time to time pour a few drops of taffy into your glass of very cold water. If it forms droplets, it's ready to be fired!

There is a little trick to prevent the maple syrup from overflowing from the pan while foaming. You have to bend a teaspoon to create a kind of handle to hold it on the inside edge of the pan. The inside of the spoon should be perpendicular to the bottom of the pan. Half fill it with vegetable oil before you start heating your maple syrup.

As it heats up, foam will form. When the latter will come into contact with the oil contained in the spoon, it will not gain more height. The taffy can also be stored in a jar. It is then recommended to wait until it takes one more degree by heating it, that is to say 115°C instead of 114°C. Once you have transferred it to a jar, pour a little cold water over it. This will prevent the taffy from crystallizing and becoming sugar. You can then eat it with a spoon!

Do you still have some maple taffy left? You can make butter or maple sugar with it. Pour what is left in a bowl and stir it moderately to make maple butter and longer to make maple sugar.

Want to get into maple taffy on snow? Find the maple syrup you need to make it on our site!

The little sugar shack offers maple syrup in different packaging. It is ideal for couples, small or large families!

Its amber maple syrup is, for example, available in cans (250 ml, 500 ml and 1L) or in plastic jugs of 100 ml, 250 ml, 500 ml, 1L and 2L.

It is also offered in 540 ml metal can, just like golden maple syrup. These preserves are available individually or in packs on our platform.