I am not currently a pancake enthusiast, but I love the flavor of maple syrup. When I was a child, my father often made pancakes on Sunday mornings. I remember eating Log Cabin syrup saturated pancakes until my stomach couldn’t hold another. Sticky, sweet sugar syrup with maple flavoring was what I knew as maple syrup. If that is what you think of when maple syrup is mentioned, then Maple Syrup Blondies with Maple Sugar Candy are going to change your frame of reference!
When I was 12, we were living in Europe where, at the time, American style maple pancake syrup wasn’t available. Our Sunday morning pancakes came to a temporary halt when my siblings and I refused to eat pancakes with jam. I suspect we dramatically complained. I have no idea where they eventually found it, but my parents came home one day with a can of pure maple syrup. Without a cookbook or internet for guidance, my father bubbled and boiled a sugar syrup that, combined with the can of maple syrup, turned into the pancake topping we were missing.
Now I prefer baking with maple syrup rather than pouring it over pancakes. I love the warm flavor and the intoxicating smell. Oddly, I think, the maple-ness of pure maple syrup isn’t as strong as the maple flavoring in pancake syrup. The first time I made these Maple Syrup Blondies with Maple Sugar Candy, I followed the original recipe which called for only vanilla extract. I found the blondies to be missing maple-ness. I think adding a teaspoon of maple extract gives a more distinct maple flavor to the bars.
One of the things I enjoy most about this blogging adventure is discovering how to make things I never thought about making before. Things like graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate chips are supermarket staples, and I never considered how easy they might be to make at home. I had just such an “ah-ha” moment with the maple sugar candy for these blondies. Maple sugar candy is just boiled pure maple syrup which is beaten with a wooden spoon. That’s it! The recipe couldn’t be easier.
The chopped maple sugar candy melts into the batter while the blondies bake. That might be the reason these bars stay moist and chewy for up to 2 weeks! I was thrilled that the flavor and texture stayed the same over time. Try these Maple Syrup Blondies with Maple Sugar Candy and add some maple warmth to your next care package, cookie tray, or snack time.
Maple Syrup Blondies with Maple Sugar Candy
Ingredients
- FOR BLONDIES:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ½ cup pure maple syrup grade B
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 2 ounces chopped maple sugar candy see recipe below or store bought
- FOR GLAZE:
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup grade B
- FOR MAPLE SUGAR CANDY:
- 1 cup pure maple syrup grade B
Directions
- FOR BLONDIES:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9” x 13” baking pan with parchment paper, overhanging the paper on the long sides of the pan. Spray lightly with vegetable oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and maple extracts.
- Pour butter mixture into flour mixture. Fold together quickly until combined.
- Fold in chopped maple sugar candy.
- Spread batter in prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until center is barely set.
- Cool completely in the pan.
- FOR GLAZE:
- In a small bowl, stir together confectioners sugar and maple syrup until smooth.
- Lift completely cooled blondies from pan. Glaze can be drizzled before or after cutting the blondies into bars. Drizzling the glaze on individual bars will create drips of glaze down the sides of the bars.
- Allow glaze to set firmly before storing bars between layers of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- FOR MAPLE SUGAR CANDY: (Makes more candy than is needed for this recipe)
- Make 3 small (about 2” x 3” with 1” high sides ) rectangular molds from foil.
- Pour maple syrup into a medium sauce pan. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan. Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil at medium heat until the thermometer reads 235 degrees F (110 degrees C).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool until the thermometer reads 175 degrees F (80 degrees C), about 10 minutes.
- Beat with a wooden spoon(about 5 minutes) until the syrup is thick, creamy, and lightened in color.
- Pour into foil molds. Allow to firm at room temperature or refrigerate.
- When firm, wrap in foil or plastic wrap for storage in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month or frozen for longer.
Packing Tips
Mailing these bars uncut in a disposable pan will keep the blondies moist and chewy longer and make them sturdier for shipping. If mailing cut bars, place a small piece of wax paper between pairs of bars and double wrap in plastic wrap. Place wrapped blondies in an airtight container.
mmmarzipan says
Oh wow! Send me some?! 😉
themondaybox says
Absolutely! 🙂
shannon says
first of all, Wendy, these look fantastic: i too am much more a fan of maple syrup when i’m baking than i am when it’s poured over something. side note: i grew up eating pancakes with jam on them BY CHOICE; i still do that on the rare occasion i have pancakes (which, let’s be honest, i’m cosidering given our current weather situation…mmmm.) 😉
oh no: it’s mind-wandery day. now i can’t get the pancakes out of my head.
anyway, so secondly, no one needed to let me know how easy it was to make maple candy. because i LOVE maple candy in a big way. dangerous post, my friend. good work. 🙂
themondaybox says
Thanks, Shannon! There is no accounting for people’s tastes in pancake toppings….jam BY CHOICE. Hmmmm. 🙂 Warm comfort food is definitely called for with our perfectly appropriate for December but not at all appreciated current weather. I crave stew and brownies when the temperatures dip to the 20’s.
My mistake about the maple sugar candy. Its really very very hard to boil maple syrup. 😉 Does that help?
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain says
These blondies are gorgeous, Wendy! I love that first shot with the drizzle. <3 Maple syrup is one of those things I also love baking with but I can never seem to get my hands on good quality syrup. I may have to now though!:)
themondaybox says
Thanks, Jess! I have always wanted to do a drizzle photo but couldn’t figure out how to drizzle and photograph at the same time. Over Thanksgiving I solicited my son’s assistance. He photographed and I drizzled. 🙂 I bought my syrup at Trader Joe’s. I’m not sure about quality because it is the only pure maple syrup I remember tasting. I was a wee bit surprised at the price. I think that large bottle in the photo was $16. Not an every day sweetener/flavoring for sure.
Niki's Sweet Side says
HELLOOO!! That looks AMAZING! And I love maple!! YUMM! 😀
themondaybox says
Thanks, Niki! Nothing in these chewy little bars but pure maple flavor!
Niki's Sweet Side says
Yum! I’m gonna have to give them a try! 😀
beyondfrosting says
I am a sucker for anything maple syrup!
themondaybox says
Me too, Julianne! These stayed so soft and chewy and I just kept eating. 🙂
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I love maple syrup. I’m a believer in the real thing too. It does make a huge difference. I’m eager to give these blondies a try.
themondaybox says
Thanks, Maureen! With maple flavor, just like with vanilla, the real thing and the artificial thing taste different. If you try these bars, I hope you will let me know what you think
noyomoco says
Maple syrup -yum! 🙂 These bars looks delicious!
themondaybox says
Thanks, Jennifer! Thank goodness for whoever figured out that maple tree produced such nectar!
Ashley says
Maple is definitely one of my favorite flavors for baking! I’m not a huge fan of pancakes either so I mostly use maple syrup in baking! These blondies sound so delicious – I love that you added the maple extract to pump up the flavor!
themondaybox says
Thanks, Ashley! I was surprised that with all of the maple syrup and maple syrup candy, The flavor just wasn’t mapley enough for me. The maple extract was the pump up these blondies needed. 🙂
The Café Sucre Farine says
These sound so good, I love blondies but when you add maple syrup, that just takes them to a heavenly realm 🙂
themondaybox says
Thanks, Chris! I like chocolate but I don’t love it. So I couldn’t figure out what it was about brownies that was so addicting. I decided it was the chewy texture that keeps me going back for more. These maple blondies have that chewy addictiveness.
Sarah @ The Cook's Life says
You just doomed me when I read about these bars staying moist and chewy for a week. I didn’t need to hear that! And thanks for the reminder about maple candy. I made it once a few years ago after paying $16 for a tiny jar of it that disappeared onto our toast and pancakes way too quickly. Now I am craving the candy, or maple cream, as we called it. Dangerous stuff, lady! But thanks! 🙂
themondaybox says
The long length of time these bars stay fresh is supposed to make life easier….not hips wider….but I just kept going back for more! 🙂 I do think they are great for making ahead of time for a dessert platter when there are lots of other things to be made, as well as great care package bars. The maple sugar candy amazed me! I had no idea that it was so easy to make.
BruCrew Life says
Those look delicious. Love the drizzle and the maple syrup action going on in these!
themondaybox says
Thanks, Jocelyn! I love the look of a drizzle but needed a photo shoot helper to photograph while I drizzled. 🙂 These bars are soft and chewy and maple-full!