Maple Sugar Candy (Cake-Like)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

From: Kenneth Allen Hyde <HKA55365@vax1.utulsa.edu>
Date: 21 Mar 1994 19:18:20 -0500
Well I don't know how other people make it, but this is how my family
always made in Pennsylvania when we were sugaring off. Maple sugar candy is
one of the easiest candies to make. There are, however, two kinds: the
taffy like stuff and the cakelike stuff. I'll include both recipes. The key
to both is to use real maple syrup, none of this imitation "maple-flavored"
stuff (although B-grade maple syrup will do fine).
1.  Prepare your molds by greasing them lightly.  Or you can use a single
large pan and break the candy into conveniently sized pieces once it cools.
2.  Heat the maple syrup to the hard crack stage.  This is around 300 F.
Precision is not really necessary here, though.  What you want to do is get
it to hard crack and then hold it there until it just starts to
crystallize.
3.  At this point, you have to be very fast and somewhat reckless: pour the
crystallizing syrup into the molds as fast as possible.  If your timing is
right, it will form smooth-grained cakes of maple sugar. Word to the Wise:
If you catch the syrup too late, the candy will be coarse-grained, but it
will still taste wonderful.  If you get it too early, it will set up like a
hard candy: clear and brittle.  Again, very tasty. My suggestion is that
you try making this with small amounts of syrup until you have a feel for
when to pour.
REC.FOOD.RECIPES ARCHIVES
/CANDY
From rec.food.cooking archives.  Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe Archive,
http://www.erols.com/hosey.

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