Crystalized Maple Syrup

What to do with crystallized maple syrup?

On our farm we think of maple syrup season as starting in November, which is when we check the lines for damages and make sure the sugar bush is clear of fallen tree limbs. It is also a time to flush the lines of any residual sap, bacteria, and mold.

As maple syrup season approaches, we find ourselves looking through the frozen syrup from last year. We freeze our syrup to ensure we have a yearlong supply.

Frozen, the syrup exhibits a rich, amber color with a slushy consistency. It never freezes solid because of the sugar content, and once thawed, tastes the same as the day it was collected.  

The downside to freezing is when we thaw the syrup, after which 10 to 25% of it crystallizes. This occurs because syrup is a supersaturated sugar solution, in which, sugar molecules separate from water. The crystallization is due to overcooking the syrup at too high a temperature when it was boiled down from sap.

Last year was our first attempt at making syrup — we are planning to improve our system by using reverse osmosis this season. Reverse osmosis forces the sap through a semipermeable membrane, which removes water and concentrates the sap. This process removes up to 75% of water, cutting down boiling time significantly.

So, what to do with crystallized maple syrup? We found a clever way of turning the crystallized maple sugar into delicious homemade cookies. These cookies are so good we are almost tempted to overcook all of our maple syrup — well, maybe not.

Crystallized Maple Syrup Cookies 

2 cups crystallized maple sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top of cookies

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup whole milk

3 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Mix together the first two ingredients until fluffy. Add and mix the remaining ingredients incrementally until the dough is soft and sticky. Cover the mixture and chill for 2-3 hours. Add a spoonful of dough for each cookie onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle with maple sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy, and never be sad about crystallized maple sugar again.

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