Pumpkin spice will always have a place in our hearts, but its time to make way for the latest flavor trend this fall, maple.
Maple is more than just a flavoring for pancake syrup, this year maple is making its way into coffee, cookies, cakes, glazes and more.
A perennial favorite in Canada, maple has made its way south and is being infused into a variety of products available at supermarkets as well as homemade recipes.
Embrace Maple
If you know you love the taste of maple, think of using maple extract in these clever ways:
Whipped cream Stir a small amount into whipped cream for a topping for pies, cakes, or hot chocolate.
Caramels Use maple extract in recipes for soft, chewy caramels.
Pancakes and waffles Stir a little flavoring into the batter to boost the maple taste of your breakfast dishes.
Homemade syrup Create your own pancake syrup by combining water, sugar and maple extract.
Oatmeal Stir a few drops into your morning oatmeal for maple flavor without the extra calories of syrup.
Coffee creamer Make your own maple-flavored coffee creamer by adding a few drops to cream or milk.
Marinades and glazes Create a glaze for roasted poultry, pork, or ham by combining maple flavoring with ingredients like Dijon mustard or soy sauce.
Barbecue sauce Enhance the flavor of homemade barbecue sauce with a touch of maple extract.
Roasted vegetables Drizzle maple-flavored melted butter over roasted vegetables, like sweet potatoes or carrots, for a touch of sweetness.
Toast Add maple flavoring to peanut butter, butter or honey and spread on toast.
Add to Banana bread, chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch blondies, buttercream frostings.
Maple Ginger Fudge
This is a great recipe that makes 3 pounds of fudge, perfect for holiday parties and as a thoughtful and simple homemade gift.
Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 cups white chocolate chips
7 oz. jar marshmallow creme
2 tsp. maple extract
Chopped walnuts to taste
Directions
Line 13×9 pan with foil; set aside. Place sugar, ginger, butter, and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.
Add white chocolate chips and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add maple extract; mix well. Add ground walnuts to taste.
Pour immediately into prepared pan; spread to form even layer. Sprinkle finely ground walnuts on top as décor. Let stand at room temperature for 4 hours or until completely cooled, cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.
Maple Meringue Cookies
This a fun recipe for the fall/winter season. The Santa Clarita Valley has the prefect climate for making perfect meringue desserts, the lack of humidity in the air makes for exceptional, crunchy, tasty meringues.
Tip The egg whites need to be fresh, separate eggs while cold to avoid getting egg yolk into the whites. Bring the egg whites to room temperature and make sure the whites are completely free of any fat or yolk. Check that your mixing bowl is free of any surface oil or grease.
Ingredients
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup fine granulated sugar (Fine sugar can be hard to find, you can make your own by blending regular granulated sugar in a standard home blender to a fine powder).
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. maple extract (Use 1 tsp. of maple extract and omit vanilla for a stronger maple flavor.)
Directions
Whip the whites, salt and cream of tartar until white and frothy.
Add the sugar in spoonfuls slowly, letting it dissolve before adding the next spoonful.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
When all the sugar has been added, whip until stiff peaks form.
Add in the vanilla and maple extract then whip back to the stiff peaks stage.
Put meringue in piping bag with a star tip. (You can also just drop spoonfuls of meringue on the parchment for a more rustic cookie.)
Pipe out 1-inch diameter cookies on parchment lined baking trays
Bake on the center oven rack at 225F for 60-70 minutes. The cookies should be light, crisp, completely dry, without any color around the edges, and be easily lifted off the parchment paper. Do not remove from oven.
Turn off oven and leave them inside to cool slowly, about 1-2 hours.
Put into airtight container as soon as cool, as the more time they spend in humid air, the softer/stickier they will get.
Maple Meat Glaze
This glaze uses real maple syrup and is perfect for glazing just about any meat you cook, either on the grill or in the oven. The sweet and savory mix adds flavor to your holiday ham, grilled wings, pork ribs, pork loin, pork chops and more.
Ingredients
12 ounces Pure Maple Syrup
2 tbsp. granulated garlic
1 tbsp. coarse black pepper
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground rosemary
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
Whisk together and cook over medium heat, bringing mixture to a boil.
Stir frequently and cook 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool slightly before using.
This maple glaze can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 weeks.
Bring to room temperature or heat slightly before using.
