There's a brief, but special season at the end of winter and beginning of spring, when maple sap is flowing. For several weeks, sugar shacks across New England are in full operation, turning that sweet sap into maple syrup and maple sugar.
It's a festive season, and definitely one to celebrate! As this year's maple sugaring season begins to wind down, it's a great time to try some new and delicious recipes with this year's fresh batch of maple syrup.
From sweet candies and baked goods, to flavor-packed weeknight dinners, this collection of our favorite maple recipes has it all. As a side benefit, many of these maple-sweetened recipes are healthier than those made with refined sugar, but they're so flavorful, you'd never guess!
1. Pumpkin Spice Donuts With Maple Glaze
With a delicate, fluffy crumb, these pumpkin spice donuts are the perfect weekend treat for celebrating maple season.
Since they're baked, rather that fried, these cake donuts are a little healthier than the usual version, and are a flavorful delight. That maple glaze sets nice and firmly once it dries, so they're sturdy enough to bring down to the sugar shack!
Get the recipe here.
2. Maple-Glazed Candied Pecans
With a sweet and hearty crunch, these maple glazed pecans couldn't be easier. They only call for four ingredients, and are made right on the stovetop. Try putting these on a salad, or use them to garnish a bowl of ice cream.
There are so many ways to enjoy the delicious glazed nuts, you'll find yourself making them often!
Get the recipe here.
3. Maple Caramel Pecan Turtles
These Maple Caramel Pecan Turtles are made with real honey and maple syrup, and are actually paleo friendly. Healthier than regular turtle candies, but equally addictive, they make a wonderful gift.
From the nutty crunch of the pecans, to the maple-y sweetness of the caramel, to the smooth finish of dark chocolate, these are a treat your guests won't forget.
Get the recipe here.
4. Maple Walnut Fudge Recipe
This Maple Walnut Fudge will just melt in your mouth. It's hard to believe it's so easy to whip together, and takes just a short while to make. With only four ingredients, this would be a fun and simple recipe to make with kids.
The texture of this fudge is smooth, creamy, and perfectly dense. This is a treat to enjoy now during maple season, but don't lose the recipe so you can make it again at Christmas!
Get the recipe here.
5. Apple, Avocado, and Arugula Salad with Maple Cranberry Vinaigrette
This apple, avocado, and arugula salad is paired with a maple cranberry vinaigrette and topped with all the best salad accoutrements. It's a healthy dish you'll want to enjoy on repeat all spring and summer.
That maple cranberry vinaigrette is such a lovely, flavorful dressing, you may find yourself coming back to it every time salad is on the menu. It would make a great marinade as well!
Get the recipe here.
6. Maple Mustard Dipping Sauce
This Maple Mustard Sauce is a twist on honey mustard that’s made with just 3 ingredients. Instead of traditional honey mustard sauce, maple sugaring season calls for something special.
The more winsome, playful flavor of the maple makes this sauce just delicious for dipping chicken tenders. Once you have a batch of it all made up, you'll find endless ways to enjoy it!
Get the recipe here.
7. Mango Muffins with Maple Walnut Streusel
These mango muffins are a perfect way to celebrate maple season! Covered with a crumbly maple walnut streusel topping, and finished with a drizzle of maple glaze, they're a delicious treat.
It's really a lovely coincidence that mangos always seem to be on sale right during maple sap season. These two products of disparate climes are truly meant for each other. These are one of those sweet muffins that are great at any time of day, from breakfast, to snack, to dessert.
Get the recipe here.
8. Maple Walnut Banana Bundt Cake
Here's a moist, warmly spiced bundt cake flecked with toasted walnuts, that's a breeze to make, and a joy to eat.
Maple, walnut, and banana are such a great combination. The sweet flavors of maple and ripe bananas are tempered with the earthy nuttiness of walnuts, while warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, take this cake right over the top.
Get the recipe here.
9. Brown Butter Maple Blondies
Buttery, chewy, and packed with maple flavor, these blondies are an easy-to-make treat everyone will adore.
The nuttiness of browned butter perfectly complements the rich, sweetness of maple, creating a flavor profile that’s complex and comforting at the same time. The texture is just dense enough to be satisfying, and perfectly chewy. These are perfect for an after school treat!
Get the recipe here.
10. Maple Syrup Eclairs
These beautiful light choux pastries are filled with maple pastry cream, dipped in maple glaze, and then topped with candied pecans. They're truly a maple celebration in themselves.
It you've always wanted to try making eclairs, but have felt a bit intimidated by pastry making, these would be a great first recipe to try!
Get the recipe here.
11. Maple Caramel Apples
The paleo maple caramel apples are just packed with flavor. Made without sugar or corn syrup, these are even paleo friendly and dairy free!
While caramel apples usually get their moment of limelight in the fall, this recipe works great with nice tart storage apples. Don't make yourself wait until fall to give these a try!
Get the recipe here.
12. Pecan Shortbread with Maple Glaze
Buttery, melt in your mouth pecan shortbread gets an exciting twist, with the addition of maple.
These hearty pecan shortbread cookies are slathered in a sweet maple glaze, then sprinkled with salty sweet candied pecans or even candied bacon bits. These would be a great treat for bringing in to share with coworkers, or for teacher appreciation day!
Get the recipe here.
13. Maple Bourbon Pecan Tart
This nutty bourbon pecan tart is as delicious as it is pretty to look at. This tart bears a strong resemblance to a pecan pie, but the ratio of crust to filling makes this the more satisfying dessert, in my opinion.
A leaf shaped cookie cutter makes that gorgeous pasty edge a breeze. This is a company worthy dessert that would be just as much at home on the table for Easter as Thanksgiving.
Get the recipe here.
14. Maple Sugar
Did you know you can make maple sugar right at home? It turns out, it's surprisingly easy and quick to make yourself.
This recipe calls for just one ingredient--maple syrup. Use maple sugar in desserts, savory dishes, or sweet beverages, like hot chocolate. It also makes the sweetest gift, when packaged up in little jars!
Get the recipe here.
15. Maple Ginger Pear Pie
This delicious pear pie brings together so many favorite flavors. Sweetened with maple syrup, it's perfectly spiced with fragrant, warming ginger.
The soft and delicate filling is everything you want a fruit pie to be, and it's a great alternative to common apple pie.
Get the recipe here.
16. Maple Walnuts
These maple walnuts are so easy, and once you've made them once, it won't be the last! These call for just 3 ingredients, and take only 5 minutes to prepare.
Made without sugar, there also naturally paleo and vegan. Being sweetened only with maple syrup gives them just the right amount of sweetness. A little vanilla and salt are the perfect finishing touch.
Get the recipe here.
17. Maple Cinnamon Rolls
This light and fluffy cinnamon roll recipe comes together surprisingly quickly, making them an option even for the breakfast table.
The texture on these is just lovely, and that buttery maple frosting is the sweet finishing touch all our kids want to see on a fresh pan full of cinnamon rolls. Everyone will love these!
Get the recipe here.
18. Salted Maple Honey Caramels
These easy homemade Salted Maple Honey Caramels are made with just 4 all-natural ingredients. Sweetened with just honey and maple syrup, they're sugar free and dairy free, and paleo friendly.
They're a quick and easy candy recipe that doesn't take all day to make, and the result is firm-but-chewy caramels that stick in your teeth the way any good caramel should. That maple flavor really comes shining through in these!
Get the recipe here.
19. Maple Cookies
These soft and squishy maple cookies nail every requirement of a good soft cookie. With chewy centers, buttery pecans, and perfectly balanced maple sweetness, these are a grown up cookie that kids will love.
That maple glaze is addictive, and you may find yourself applying it with a heavy hand...it's just that good.
Get the recipe here.
20. Harissa Maple Glazed Pork Chops
These mouthwatering maple glazed pork chops are the easy weeknight meal we all deserve. Infused with flavorful harissa for the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, this comforting meal comes together with just 5 ingredients.
This is definitely one of those easy dinner recipes that earns a spot on the regular rotation!
Get the recipe here.
21. Maple Ice Cream
Make your own delicious maple ice cream at home, with this sweet and simple recipe. Perfectly creamy and simply silky smooth, it has a wonderful maple flavor that pairs well with baked desserts, but is more than capable of standing alone.
For a firmer idea cream, plan to make it ahead and let it rest in the freezer for a couple of hours. For a soft-serve texture, enjoy as soon as its out of the ice cream maker.
Get the recipe here.
17 Scone Recipes Worthy of Sunday Brunch
Is there anything better than a fresh scone made right at home? Whether you're looking for savory scones, like jalapeño cheddar, or a sweet recipe (do try the Earl Gray one, it's amazing!), you'll find a scone recipe here to please any palate.
These easy recipes are perfect for your next brunch, but once you've started baking scones at home, you're bound to find yourself making them "just because"!
Get the recipes here.
21 Easter Treats Too Cute to Eat
From precocious bunnies, to delicate birds' nests, to wooly little lambs--there are so many sweet themes to draw from at Easter time!
If you're looking for an adorable treat to make for your holiday celebration, here's a list of the cutest and most creative recipes for Easter treats that we've ever seen!
Get the recipes here
Decadent Desserts That are Surprisingly Easy
Slaving over a stove when you don't feel like it, is the worst. Just skip it, with these easy no-bake recipes that cut corners in all the best ways, and still deliver a show-stopping dessert.
That peanut butter pie is one you're definitely going to want to try!
Get the recipes here.
Anna Chesley
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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