Maple Candy: A Guide to Canada's Sweetest Treat
Posted by JAKEMAN'S MAPLE SYRUP
Maple Candy: A Guide to Canada’s Sweetest Treat
Maple candy is a sweet made by cooking maple syrup until most of its water evaporates, then cooling and shaping it. Depending on how hot it’s cooked and how it’s handled as it cools, the same syrup can become a soft, melt-in-your-mouth maple leaf sugar, a clear hard candy or a lollipop. In this guide we cover what maple candy is, how it’s made, the main types and how to store it.
What is maple candy?
Traditional maple candy is made from one ingredient: maple syrup. When syrup is heated past the syrup stage, the water boils off and the sugars concentrate. What happens next decides the texture. Stirred as it cools, it forms fine sugar crystals and turns creamy and crumbly. Cooked hotter and left undisturbed, it sets into a smooth, glassy candy.
Because the flavour comes straight from the syrup, good maple candy tastes of maple, not just sugar.
How maple candy is made
- Collecting sap. In early spring, sap is collected from sugar maple trees as temperatures swing between freezing nights and mild days.
- Boiling it into syrup. The sap is boiled down to remove water. It takes around 40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of maple syrup.
- Cooking past syrup. For candy, the syrup is heated well beyond the syrup stage. The higher the temperature, the firmer the final candy.
- Stirring or not. Stirring as it cools creates a creamy maple sugar. Leaving it still creates hard candy.
- Moulding. The hot mixture is poured into moulds, often the classic maple leaf, and left to set.
Types of maple candy
| Type | Texture | How it’s made |
|---|---|---|
| Maple leaf sugar | Soft, crumbly, melts on the tongue | Cooked syrup stirred as it cools, then moulded |
| Hard candy | Smooth, glassy, long-lasting | Cooked hotter, cooled without stirring |
| Lollipops | Hard, on a stick | Hard candy poured into moulds with a stick |
| Caramels and toffee | Chewy, rich | Cooked with butter or cream |
| Cotton candy | Light and airy | Sugar spun into fine threads |
Maple leaf sugar candy. The classic Canadian souvenir, shaped like a maple leaf. Try our Maple Leaf Sugar candies.
Maple lollipops. A favourite with kids and grown-ups. Our Maple Leaf Suckers come in 2-packs.
Maple caramels and toffee. Richer and chewier than sugar candy. See our Maple Caramels and Maple Toffee.
Maple cotton candy. A light twist on a fairground classic. See our Maple Cotton Candy.
Ideas for sharing maple candy
- Parties: a bowl of maple lollipops and maple leaf candies makes a Canadian alternative to the usual candy mix.
- Party favours: small bags of maple leaf sugar are an easy take-home treat for birthdays, showers and weddings.
- Stocking stuffers and souvenirs: maple leaf candies are light, easy to pack and instantly recognisable as Canadian.
- Thank-you gifts: pair a box of candies with a small bottle of pure maple syrup.
Browse the full range in our Sweets collection.
How to store maple candy
Keep maple candy in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, away from heat and direct sunlight. Humidity is the main problem: it can make hard candy sticky and soft maple sugar grainy. Avoid the fridge, where moisture can affect the texture. Check the best-before date on each package.
Want to make your own?
You can make maple candy at home with pure maple syrup, a heavy saucepan and a candy thermometer. Follow our step-by-step recipe: How to make maple syrup candy.
Frequently asked questions
What is maple candy made of?
Traditional maple sugar candy is made from maple syrup alone. Caramels, toffee and some other maple sweets include extra ingredients such as butter or cream, so check each product’s ingredient list.
What’s the difference between maple sugar candy and maple hard candy?
Both start as maple syrup. Maple sugar candy is stirred as it cools, which makes it soft and crumbly. Hard candy is cooked hotter and left to cool undisturbed, which makes it smooth and glassy.
How long does maple candy keep?
Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place, maple candy keeps well. See the best-before date on each package.
Why is maple candy shaped like a leaf?
The maple leaf is a national symbol of Canada, and leaf-shaped moulds became the traditional form for maple sugar candy.
