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ByKaren Dawkins
Pumpkin spice latte might be the social media darling of October and November.
But, its spot at the top of the fall flavor world may be coming to an end. And maple is to blame!
Personally, I’m not a big pumpkin spice latte fan. I like pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, and even pumpkin cheesecake. But, I’m more of a maple cookie girl.
It’s a low glycemic sweetener. For the unfamiliar, the glycemic index measures how fast different foods raise blood sugar levels. This is really important for diabetics.
The rest of us should pay attention, too, though. Steady sugar levels mean more energy.
And who doesn’t need more energy at the holidays?
If you only know maple as a syrup for pancakes and waffles, you’re behind the times! Maple cookies are where it’s at!
Table of Contents
Where to find PA maple syrup for maple cookies
Discover Pennsylvania’s Maple Farms
Enjoy Pennsylvania’s Maple Festivals
Maple cookies recipe using Pennsylvania maple syrup
Maple Cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Where to find PA maple syrup for maple cookies
In the “Endless Mountains” of northern Pennsylvania, you can tour Patterson Farms to learn about the maple producing industry.
On my tour, I learned that the different colors of syrup actually have distinct flavors. Darker colors have a deeper, richer flavor. Middle colored syrups are well-balanced. The lighter maples are most popular for candies.
Tioga County,in northern Pennsylvania, might be the state’s most popular destination to learn about this amazing product. Brookfieldis popular for its certified organic producers. NearbyPatterson Farms is known for its syrups and products and also for being the largest maple producer in the state.
In mid-February in the Endless Mountainsregion, the Loch family begins tapping the trees. Loch’s Mapleproduces syrups, candies and their signature popcorn — a favorite for visitors and locals alike!
Andy’s Own Pure Maple Syrup in Indiana (that’s Indiana, Pennsylvania, folks — about 90 minutes west of Pittsburgh) has been making syrup for more than 50 years. Besides their great tasting products, visitors can watch as they use a blend of modern and traditional techniques to make syrup.
Enjoy Pennsylvania’s Maple Festivals
Most maple festivals take place late winter or early spring, when the maple harvest season begins. With an abundance of winter activities like skiing, tubing and snowmobiling, there’s plenty to do in Pennsylvania to round out a winter weekend getaway. Just remember to pack the mittens!
ThePennsylvania Maple Festivalin the Laurel Highlands takes place in March. Festivities include a variety of activities like syrup production demonstrations, live entertainment, children’s activities and tractor shows. Pro tip: Don’t miss the Grand Feature Parade, Lions Club pancake breakfasts and “Legend of the Magic Water,” a historical pageant that depicts the discovery of maple syrup.
InCamp Eder, near historic Gettysburg, theStrawberry Hill Nature Preserve’s Maple Madness event takes place in late February. Families will learn about the process of sugaring – from tapping the tree to turning the sap into sweet, pure syrup. The day also features a pancake breakfast, of course!
Maple cookies recipe using Pennsylvania maple syrup
Yield: 24-36 cookies
Maple Cookies
Chewy maple cookie recipe, provided by the PA Maple Association and Loch's Maple. Used with permission.
Prep Time10 minutes
Additional Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour40 minutes
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup Pennsylvania pure maple syrup
Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine first five ingredients (dry ingredients).
In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes).
Add vanilla and egg to the butter mixture and beat until well combined.
Add syrup and mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two parts (half at a time) and mix only until combined. Do not overmix!
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet, spacing them about 2" apart.
Bake cookies until golden around the edges, about 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Notes
**Plant butter can be used one for one as a substitution for regular butter. I do not use it warm, but right from the refrigerator.
**For a double batch, separate dough into two balls before refrigerating.
And there you have it — loads of maple goodness, at home or on vacation. I hope you’ll give it a try!
But true maple syrup is complex, nutty, and much more flavorful than those imposters. One taste and you'll never go back to the table syrups of yesteryear! Of course if you're out of real maple syrup but have pancake syrup on hand, it'll work in a pinch.
Maple syrup: A bit thinner than golden syrup, maple syrup is a good option to replace golden syrup in recipes. The opposite is true, too—you can use golden syrup on waffles or pancakes instead of maple syrup.
There are other maple syrup substitutes that you can use when baking in a 1-to-1 correspondence. Use honey, molasses, corn syrup, or agave nectar. The flavor of the baked goods will be different, but because of the texture of these products, the result will be as moist as it would have been with maple syrup.
Honey has an amber color similar to maple syrup, and while it might be a touch sweeter, it makes a wonderful swap. It'll be similar in texture as well, if only a smidge thicker. The only place you may notice a difference in flavor is if you're topping your breakfast with it. In baked goods, it will be negligible.
Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce can replace some or all of the maple syrup, adding moisture and natural sweetness. Mashed Bananas: Ripe mashed bananas can replace maple syrup in recipes, adding sweetness and a fruity flavor.
Coconut nectar is basically a coconut syrup that is thick. It is from actual coconut tree sap. It has all the components you'd want in a maple syrup substitute with color, sweetness, and caramel flavor. It's considered a healthier alternative because of its lower glycemic index.
Nutritionally, maple syrup is the healthier choice due to golden syrup's high sugar content. Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index, as well as higher levels of vitamins and minerals, including zinc and magnesium.
For the moment, people with diabetes should keep in mind that even if maple syrup contains some potentially promising elements, it remains a food that should only be eaten once in a while and in limited quantities, just like other sources of concentrated carbohydrates.
Don't fret if you ever need to swap maple syrup for molasses (or vice versa). As a general rule, you can sub in molasses for maple syrup 1:1 as a liquid ingredient, but since molasses isn't as naturally sweet as maple syrup, keep that in mind for how it might affect the final flavor.
When replacing maple syrup with brown sugar in a recipe, follow these simple guidelines: Ratio: For every cup of maple syrup, substitute 1 cup of packed brown sugar. Keep in mind that brown sugar is denser than maple syrup, so it's essential to pack it firmly when measuring.
Yes, pure maple syrup is not only high in antioxidants, but every spoonful offers nutrients like riboflavin, zinc, magnesium, calcium and potassium. According to Helen Thomas of the New York State Maple Association, maple syrup has a higher concentration of minerals and antioxidants, yet fewer calories than honey.
Sweetness: Honey is sweeter than maple syrup, so you may want to use less honey than the amount of maple syrup called for in the recipe. A common rule of thumb is to use about 25% less honey than the amount of maple syrup.
For example, maple syrup is lower in calories than honey, and therefore may be the better choice for someone looking to lose weight. Pure maple syrup also has fewer carbohydrates and is lower on the glycaemic index than honey, which may make it healthier for certain diets.
Honey contains more calories than maple syrup. One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories while one tablespoon of maple syrup contains 52 calories. While this isn't huge when comparing tablespoons, the difference adds up when you're using greater amounts, such as in baked goods.
In blind tastings, our panel of professional tasters have detected big flavor differences between pancake syrup and maple syrup. Real maple syrup has a clean, complex maple flavor with hints of caramel, vanilla, and prune. Pancake syrups are singularly sweet with little complexity and noticeable artificial flavors.
Because, it's true: Pancake syrup is not the same as maple syrup. Or, rather, maple syrup is a syrup for pancakes (and waffles), but labeling a product as “pancake syrup” means it is not made of the same stuff as its maple counterpart.
No, it is not recommended to use Aunt Jemima pancake mix to make syrup. Aunt Jemima pancake mix is a pre-made blend of flour, sugar, baking powder, and other ingredients that is designed to be used to make pancakes. It is not intended to be used to make syrup.
You can definitely use regular (if you mean regular is in Betty Crocker and the like) as a replacement for Maple Syrup in this recipe. The flavor won't be quite as nice because you'll be missing the maple flavor, but it will definitely have the sweetness you want.
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