Ingredients
Taffy
- 500 mlpure maple syrup, ideally amber or dark
Bed
- a long tray of clean packed snow, or finely crushed ice
Equipment
- a sugar thermometer
- a deep heavy pan
- wooden sticks or lolly sticks
Directions
- Use pure maple syrup and nothing else. Pack the snow down firmly in a long tray and put it outside or in the freezer to stay hard. Pack it and chill it hard. Loose or slushy snow lets the hot syrup sink straight through and you lose it into the tray.
- Bring the syrup to a boil over a medium heat without stirring it. Do not stir it at any point once it is boiling, because stirring encourages the sugar to crystallise into grains.
- Boil it to 112 to 115°C (234 to 240°F) on a thermometer, which is the soft ball stage. Below it the taffy never firms up and runs off the stick; above it you get hard candy instead of chewy taffy.
- Keep children well back from the pan itself, however much this is a children’s treat. Take the pan off the heat and let the bubbling subside for about 30 seconds.
- Pour the hot syrup in a long ribbon over the packed snow, moving steadily along the tray. Pour it in a thin line rather than a puddle. A thick pool stays soft in the middle and never rolls up properly.
- Wait about 10 to 15 seconds while it firms. Press a stick onto one end of the ribbon and roll it up towards you, gathering the taffy onto the stick.
- Roll it while it is still pliable. Left too long on the snow it hardens and snaps rather than rolling.
Technique
- Amber or dark syrup gives more flavour than the pale early-season grades.
- Reheating leftover syrup and re-boiling it works, though it darkens each time.
- Snow gathered from anywhere other than a clean fresh fall is not worth using.
Substitutions
- Finely crushed ice, packed hard, in place of snow.
- A marble slab, chilled in the freezer, which gives a flatter taffy.
Variations
- Boiled a little further for hard maple candy.
- Poured into moulds as maple sugar candy.
- Served over vanilla ice cream instead of snow.
History
Poured hot on clean snow at Quebec sugar shacks during the spring sap run, a cabane a sucre ritual dating to the colonial era.
Frequently asked questions
What is Maple taffy?
Maple taffy is a snack from Canada: hot maple syrup poured on snow, rolled onto a stick. Poured hot on clean snow at Quebec sugar shacks during the spring sap run, a cabane a sucre ritual dating to the colonial era.
How long does Maple taffy take to make?
Maple taffy takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 12 sticks. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Maple taffy?
Yes, within limits. Finely crushed ice, packed hard, in place of snow. A marble slab, chilled in the freezer, which gives a flatter taffy.
What is the most important thing to get right in Maple taffy?
Bring the syrup to a boil over a medium heat without stirring it. Do not stir it at any point once it is boiling, because stirring encourages the sugar to crystallise into grains.
