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.

Much thanks!

Anon wrote:
>
> 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.