Maple Fudge Recipe with Real Maple Syrup! - Chopnotch (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between real maple syrup and fake maple syrup? ›

If you find a product on the shelf labeled “maple syrup” or "Grade A"—or it lists “maple sugar” as an ingredient—it's the real thing. Those qualifiers tell you the product comes from a maple tree and has a sweeter, more complex taste, a thicker, more luxurious texture, and a higher price.

Fudge Didn't Set

If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).

While it lacks vitamins, maple syrup is rich in certain minerals, such as manganese. It also has antioxidants that may offer health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and supporting brain health. But, its high sugar content can lead to tooth decay and further health problems for people with diabetes.

Unopened maple syrup of any kind can be stored in a cool, dark place until you're ready to use it, ideally within two years. But once opened, pure maple syrup should be stored in the refrigerator.

Does Maple Syrup Go Bad? As it turns out, maple syrup does have a shelf life once opened, and mold is not as uncommon as we thought. StillTasty.com indicates that 100 percent pure maple syrup should keep for a year unopened in the pantry, a year opened in the refrigerator, and indefinitely in the freezer.

"It is confusing, but the easiest way to think about it is that maple syrup is sugar, so it counts toward your daily intake of added sugars, but it doesn't contain added sugars," says Amy Keating, RD, a nutritionist and food test program leader at CR.

The easiest way to tell whether that maple-flavored syrup is legit is to read the label. Genuine maple syrup is purely made from maple sap that's been boiled down until it reaches a syrupy consistency, and therefore will only have that lone listed ingredient.

Maple syrup is often used to accompany or replace regular white sugar in baking and as a substitute for honey.

Don't stir!

Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.

Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.

What to do with failed fudge? ›

Options for what you can do with your unset fudge:

OPTION 1) Depending on how runny it is, you can either use it as a frosting for cakes, or a sauce for ice-cream. OPTION 2) Freeze it overnight. Cut it into squares. Cover each square thickly in melted chocolate, ensuring no part of the fudge is exposed.

For example, maple syrup is lower in calories than honey, and therefore may be the better choice for someone looking to lose weight. Pure maple syrup also has fewer carbohydrates and is lower on the glycaemic index than honey, which may make it healthier for certain diets.

Let's look at one of the most popular brand of artificial maple syrup, Aunt Jemima, and find out what's really in the bottle: Aunt Jemima Original syrup starts as you may have expected: with sugar—corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup, to be exact. That sounds like a repeat, but the two ingredients are distinct.

These studies have found that it not only has valuable minerals and vitamins, but it also has antioxidants that are beneficial to health and wellness. No matter if it is light and delicate or dark and robust, 100% pure maple syrup is the healthy all-natural choice.

For pancake syrup, however, the number one ingredient is usually corn syrup, followed by high-fructose corn syrup. This is true for both Hungry Jack and Aunt Jemima, with the order of ingredients switched for Mrs. Butterworth's.

Real maple syrup, by comparison, is looser; it develops its color and flavor through prolonged boiling and thickening of tree sap. Amazingly, it takes 40 gallons of sap to create one gallon of syrup, which is why it's so expensive.

Butterworth's is not real maple syrup. The brand needs to clarify what exactly their syrup is “rich” in since it contains 0% actual maple syrup. The next time you ask yourself if your favorite pancake syrup is gluten free, vegan or how many calories it has; dive deeper into the ingredients to make sure it is not toxic.

But 2 tablespoons have 104 calories and 24 grams of sugars, and many other foods have those same nutrients without the high calorie and sugar load. The sugars in maple syrup are considered "added sugars” in your diet, and keeping your intake of added sugars low is more important than the type of added sugars you eat.