Maple Snow Candy
We had quite a snow storm this week, so my oldest child was home from school for three days. I made the kids soy cocoa with mint extract to warm them after every outdoor excursion. But perhaps their favorite treat was a recipe from my grandmother’s day -- snow candy! It’s simple and so unexpected, it causes quite a bit of excitement!
- Bring at least a cup of maple syrup with about 1-2 Tbsp cornstarch to a boil. Let it boil on medium heat for about 6 minutes. Maple syrup never really gets to the “soft-ball” stage but it does thicken to some extent.
- Pour the maple syrup mixture on the snow -- yes, outside! Let harden for a few minutes.
- Scoop out the chunk of maple candy, shaking off as much snow as possible (you don’t really want to eat snow!).
- Form into cubes or balls -- for a more solid caramel texture, place in refrigerator for ten minutes.
This stuff is so delightfully good, and the kids love watching Mommy pour food onto the snow! I’m sure you could reach the same result just by placing the maple mixture into the freezer for a while, but snow is neater since you don’t have to scrape it out of the pan or container. Plus it’s a lot more fun!
(This works best when it’s really cold outside, not like here in Colorado where there can be three feet of snow and be in the 50s!)
