Hi all. I'm trying to make pure maple syrup candy and can't seem to get it to set! I've made it before many years ago with no problems, but for some reason I can't seem to make it work. I heat the syrup to 240 degrees, then take it off of the heat and let it cool to approximately 200 degrees before stirring. I then stir until it starts to thicken and pour into candy molds. It never crystallizes. It just stays like a thick reduced maple syrup. Any suggestions??? I really want some maple syrup candy! I've tried both grade a and b.
Hi all. I'm trying to make pure maple syrup candy and can't seem to get it to set! I've made it before many years ago with no problems, but for some reason I can't seem to make it work. I heat the syrup to 240 degrees, then take it off of the heat and let it cool to approximately 200 degrees before stirring. I then stir until it starts to thicken and pour into candy molds. It never crystallizes. It just stays like a thick reduced maple syrup. Any suggestions??? I really want some maple syrup candy! I've tried both grade a and b.
Are you using the same brand of maple syrup that you've used successfully before? Even if it is the same brand, they may have changed the production process. If they are heating it longer or hotter, that will break down more of the sucrose into invert sugar, which will inhibit or prevent crystallization. There may even be batch-to-batch variation in the maple syrup which may cause this problem.
You might not like this suggestion, but you probably can solve the problem by dissolving white sugar (preferably the smallest grain size you can get -- superfine or confectioner's sugar) into the syrup. As soon as it is dissolved, take it off the heat and cast into molds. I can't tell you how much sugar you will need -- that can only be determined by experiment.
