How to Make Maple Syrup Candy { Minnesota Snow Ideas }

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

Hello our snowy friends! This winter just keeps on going, doesn’t it? We’re the type of folks who try to turn lemons into lemonade–so, we made some maple syrup, hard candy with the four year old, using some of the fresh snow. It’s an old idea we first read about in Little House in the Big Woods, and have since come across on the internet. The little guy loved helping out, and really loved eating it (and the snow) when it was done. So, if you’re looking for something to do with some of that snow out there, especially since it IS spring break–you might want to give this a try!

What You’ll Need:

-Pure Maple Syrup (We used one from Aldi.)

-A long, semi-deep, pan. (Something, ideally, a bit deeper than a cookie sheet.)

-Clean Snow

-Food/Candy Thermometer

-Sauce Pan

-Stick/Spoon for Stirring

-Butter Knife

-Powdered Sugar and Ziplock Bag (Optional)

What to Do:

Head outside with your pan to find some good snow. Find some snow away from the road that looks clean. You know…nothing brown, or yellow. :) You can always dig under the top layer to find some that’s even fresher.

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

We used 1/2 cup of syrup. Pour it into your saucepan and cook it over medium/high heat, stirring constantly, until your thermometer reaches 235-240 degrees. (We kept our snow in the freezer during this time so we didn’t have to hurry.)

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

Once your syrup reaches 235-240 degrees, remove it from the heat and stir. It should be bubbly, and watery. Have your snow ready!

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

Pour strips of syrup over the snow. You will be able to watch it harden. (If you’re like our kiddo–you’ll also want to pretend you are an ice villain, who is freezing it by blowing on it.)

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

Once it is fully hardened, you can pick the strips up from the snow. Using the end of a butter knife, we gently cracked the strips into smaller pieces. You can stop here, and enjoy the pieces as is. OR…

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

…if you’re like us, and don’t love the was the stickiness feels, you can shake the pieces in some powdered sugar. Just place them in a Ziplock bag, along with the powdered sugar, and shake until the pieces are covered. Use a fork to fish the chunks out.

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

Enjoy!

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy

Bonus Material:
If you have some hot coffee–pour it into the pan you used that is full of the sticky, hardened, candy. The syrup will melt into your coffee to turn it into a sweet, coffee, treat. (We cooled our coffee, added a little milk and ice, and enjoyed it more than a Starbucks drink. :) Plus, the easy clean up was the best.)

maple, syrup, candy, shop, store, make, do, snow, kids, little house on the prairie, sweet river, candy company, anoka, coon rapids, area, near, by, around, in, anoka, blaine, brooklyn, park, center, maple grove, champlin, osseo, how to make maple syrup candy