The sun is finally shining again in our corner of the world, but there's still a thick blanket of snow on the ground. So we turned to one of our favorite books, Little House in the Big Woods, and made a snow treat we've been wanting to try for years.
We always loved the descriptions of making maple syrup and the subsequent maple taffy sessions in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods. (More about those scenes here.) So we finally decided to give it a try!
It's very easy to make maple syrup taffy. Here's how you do it (we got instructions from that Country Living article we linked to earlier this week).
How To Make Maple Syrup Taffy (On Snow!)
1. Gather up some clean, fresh snow and pack it into a pie plate or roasting pan. Pack it down and set it down outside or in the freezer so it stays cold.
2. Pour a half cup of real maple syrup into a small saucepan, ideally a saucepan with a pouring lip. We like the darker flavor of Grade B maple syrup!
3. Bring the syrup to a boil over medium-high heat, and put a candy thermometer in.
4. When the syrup reaches 235°F (the soft-ball stage) take it off the heat and immediately drizzle it over the packed snow in the pan. Let the syrup cool for just a minute or two, then pick it up with your fingers and eat! (Watch your teeth!)
This is a fun post-dinner treat for wintertime, and so easy. It would be a fun and instantly gratifying way to teach little ones about candy-making and sugar chemistry, too, if you're so inclined. We also think the hot syrup probably kills any icky bacteria in the snow on contact, so we're not too worried about eating scary snow. (Just watch out for the yellow stuff. Ick.)
The taffy itself tastes just like maple syrup, of course, with a deliciously chewy texture that melts in your mouth. It's also delightfully fleeting; eat it all while it's cold, or the water will dissolve it back into plain maple syrup.
Have you ever made maple syrup taffy or another snow treat?
Related: Let It Snow! 12 Recipes Inspired By Snow
(Images: Faith Durand)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
My Staple Summer Cocktail Recipe: Campari & IPA Spritzer
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Martha Concrete Lam...
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
living in Los Angeles sucks! :(
I just re-read Little House in the Big Woods and was totally craving maple syrup taffy! Too bad I live in Vancouver...
I do not trust the fresh cleanliness of the snow anywhere these days, which is a very sad thing indeed.
I have never tried this, but I remember reading about it in this Laura Ingalls Wilder book and in "Understood Betsy," by Dorothy Canfield as well. I have always wanted to know what this was like. Snow is predicted tonight, so let it snow let it snow let it snow! :)
You just brought back memories of my childhood in Canada. A tip: Drizzle the syrup in a long, 1.5in wide straight line and then press a Popsicle down on one end. Roll the stick to make a delicious maple syrup lollipop. That's the way we did it back in Canada.
You MUST roll it onto a popsicle stick, that is the best way to eat it! Also it tastes even better if served outside, after skating! ;)
when I was a kid, I would BEG my mom to let me make that! But she never would because she said the snow was dirty :(
If snow is forecast for you, you can always just set a bowl out and let the snow fall in--no worries about it being on the ground that way.
oooh, thanks Kakugori, simple and brilliant.
I'm putting a bowl out on my garden bench the next time it snows.
When I was a kid, I would nuke the syrup in the microwave. Worked every time!
Mmmm.
Can't wait for spring to go sugaring off. Maple syrup on everything!
sounds like fun, but you can skip all the boiling, especially if you're short on time. when i was a kid in maine, my sisters and i would just grab a bowl or mug full of snow and drizzle the maple syrup on it like a snow cone. ...one of my fondest winter memories.
Oh, I always wanted to do that! I think about it every year when the first snow comes...now I have got to go try this...
I've done this sans snow and just let it cool on the countertop. Worked just fine, if a bit slower.
Ah, I think about Laura ingalls Wilder's description of this every time it snows, which sadly is not too often since I live in Texas. I've always wanted to do it. I'm surprised we never did it even with the little snow we got; I had the most creative mom. I'll be sure and do it next time it snows!
My Dad used to make this for my sisters and me when we lived in Pennsylvania and Maine.
We rarely ever got snow in North Carolina, but, if we did, my Mom always made snow cream.
Oh my gosh. I was obsessed with making that taffy when I was little. Unfortunately we hardly ever had snow in Portland, Oregon so I never got to try it. I think I'm going to have to get out the blender and some ice and make some snow myself!
I just took a stroll on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA with my t-shirt and jeans, flip flop and sun glasses. It was darling, but, I wish we could get some snow here (maybe just for a day or so), so I can try this fun recipe out!!
: P
Ahhhh! I was such a Little House nerd; when i saw the picture/title here I immediately though of Laura Ingalls Wilder, then started reading to discover that's exactly what it is! I never made this and I would never trust my local (mostly yellow) Brooklyn snow, but I like 32flavor's idea of blending up some ice into "snow."
Ah... the one time I'm actually happy I live in Wisconsin! (no, really) I'm totally doing this w/the kids tonight. They'll love it.
molly h, my cousins and i would do the same thing with either maple syrup or honey
I've always wanted to make this, but I now live in a climate where getting a sticking snow is unlikely. Oh well--next time I go home, I guess.
I tried it several times but the hot syrup always turned the snow to water, no matter how little i put in. Must've been something about the quality of the snow