Vermont is the leading producer of maple syrup in the nation and there’s no better place to buy this nutty, caramel-like ingredient. You may think of maple syrup as a topper for pancakes, French toast, and waffles, but it can do far more than sweeten your breakfast!
Maple syrup desserts are the perfect way to end any meal in the autumn season. If you’re a true maple syrup lover, there’s nothing stopping you from baking with maple syrup all year round!
Ready to get inspired? Read on for seven desserts made with maple syrup that will absolutely wow you.
1. Maple Syrup Cookies
If you’re going for an easy bake that uses household staples, you’ll want to try these maple syrup cookies. These soft cookies only take 20 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to bake, and will melt in your mouth.
To pack the maple syrup punch, make sure to use a darker grade maple syrup. Once they’re fully baked, you can top them with a maple glaze drizzle and a pinch of sea salt to go from simple to gourmet.
2. Maple Syrup Pie
Is it your job to bring the pie to the next holiday party? Sure, you can go with a traditional pumpkin or pecan, but we recommend giving this French-Canadian maple syrup pie recipe a shot.
To make things a little easier on yourself, you can swap out the homemade crust for a pre-made crust. If you still want to include the decorative leaves, make a quarter batch of pie crust or cut leaf shapes from another pre-made dough. You’ll want to cut the leaf shapes with a cookie cutter unless you have some serious creative skills with a knife!
3. Maple Syrup Cheesecake
If you love the light texture and sumptuous flavor of a New York-style cheesecake, you won’t want to miss this maple-walnut cheesecake recipe. Maple syrup is infused with the traditional cheesecake filling and the whole thing is topped with crunchy candied walnuts.
This recipe is best served within 24 hours of baking, but it won’t be hard to finish. For added fall flavors, add crushed ginger snap cookies to the Graham cracker crust mixture.
4. Maple Buttercream Frosting
Do you already have the perfect cake, cupcake, or pie recipe that you want to make more versatile? If so, try making this maple buttercream frosting as a new and exciting topper. Keep in mind that you’re going to need natural maple flavoring in addition to maple syrup to give this recipe a full body.
Not sure what to pair with your delicious maple buttercream frosting? While it goes well with any simple vanilla or chocolate baked good, it’s also the perfect companion to carrot cake, pumpkin pie, and spice cake. (It’s also tasty enough to eat right out of the bowl, but this may not be the best way to impress your dinner guests!)
5. Maple Biscotti
Do you prefer to take your coffee or tea with an understated sweet treat? If so, you’ll love this maple biscotti recipe. Biscotti is, of course, an Italian dessert, but this recipe gives it a northern twist. You just may discover that biscotti is far easier to make than you’d ever expected!
If you’re new to biscotti, know that it is a dry baked good that softens when dipped in a warm beverage. Since this one has a maple twist, we recommend pairing it with an apple spice tea, ginger tea, or pumpkin spice latte, but even a plain cup of joe will do!
6. Maple Candy
If you’ve ever been to Vermont, you may have had the pleasure of trying maple candy. Almost always formed into cute leaf shapes, maple candy is sweet, fudge-like, and easy to eat by the fistful. Believe it or not, you can make it with a single ingredient (or two, if you like a walnut crunch maple candy).
The trick is all in the temperature, so you’re going to need a device called a candy thermometer. You don’t want to heat your maple syrup higher than 235 degrees or stir the heated maple syrup until it falls to about 175 degrees. You’ll watch the maple syrup transform in color and texture before your eyes before pouring it into your leaf molds and waiting for it to cool enough to eat.
7. Maple Chocolate Coffee Cake
Finally, we can’t leave this incredible maple chocolate coffee cake off the list. Before you set your sights on it, note that this seemingly simple recipe has one of the longest ingredient lists. Some of them, like cardamom, you may not have ready and waiting in your pantry.
If you already have the perfect coffee cake recipe but you want to give it a maple twist, consider topping it with a maple glaze. Otherwise, give this recipe a shot. The spices and whole wheat flour make this cake dense, moist, and impossible to turn down!
Tips for Making Maple Syrup Desserts
What should you know before you start baking with maple syrup? First and foremost, you need to use a high-quality maple syrup. Make sure you’re not using an alternative sweetener that has a maple flavor, or you’re not going to see the same results in terms of taste or texture.
You can also find fun ways to experiment with maple syrup in dessert foods. You can often use maple syrup instead of sugar when making certain recipes, but always do your research first. Baking, in particular, is a science, and ditching a solid for a liquid can have unexpected results.
Embrace Vermont Flair with Maple Syrup Desserts
If you’re a huge fan of maple syrup, it’s time to branch out from breakfast foods. You can use this Vermont staple in baking, and these maple syrup desserts are only the tip of the iceberg. How will you start getting creative with maple syrup?
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