Right before Christmas, Dane and I went up to Vermont to visit with Sam and Jason and their families. There’s always something to do or a new Vermonty thing to try (yes, Vermonty – it’s a word now). We’re always open to trying things, even though we’re the “city friends”.
When we first met Sam and Jason a few years ago, they told us about sugar on snow, and we’ve wanted to try it ever since. We finally got our chance! After heating maple syrup, you pour it over packed snow, which cools it and creates a soft candy consistency. There was plenty of snow up in VT, and obviously plenty of maple syrup.
Sam started with heating the maple syrup.
Heating and stirring
You should heat it slowly, because I learned that once it boils the maple syrup begins to bubble up really fast and can boil over. Learned that the hard way. Scared me when it started growing uncontrollably and I had to yank it off the burner.
Looks like this, except it just keeps growing when it gets too hot. Kind of like the Blob.
Then she went outside and got some snow and packed it into a pan.
Just grab some snow from the deck. That's what we did.
I was told you could use a candy thermometer for the syrup to watch when it gets to the right temperature. But, that’s not what Sam’s family does. Instead she takes a cold cup of water, and drops a little bit of the syrup into it. When the syrup blob hardens and sinks to the bottom, you’re ready to pour it over the snow. If you’re wondering about the temperature, I looked it up and you have to heat the syrup to 255 Fahrenheit.
Then pour it over the snow!
Maple syrup + Snow
The maple syrup starts to harden as soon as it hits the cold snow, turning it into a soft candy texture.
Dane going in for his first sugar on snow experience
Now take a fork to pull up the syrup and twirl it around like so. Jason will demonstrate.
Like that. Thanks Jason!
The snow and cold was really fun to eat with the warm and gooey maple syrup. It gave it a really fun texture and the temperature difference was fun to eat together.
I learned that some places also call this Maple Taffy, and it seems pretty obvious why. The syrup becomes a taffy-like texture, complete with the stretch of taffy.
Yum! My first sugar on snow forkful!
We are so happy we finally got to try this Vermonty treat! Thanks to Sam’s mom for making this for us and having us as guests again. We are pretty easy to make happy, and this was definitely a great way to do just that!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This brings me back to my childhood. My whole family would visit Old Sturbridge Village in Western Mass and one of the treats there was fresh snow and maple syrup. Thanks for posting!
I had never seen or heard of this before I met my VT friends. Now I don’t know how I lived without ever trying it! So yummy. Thanks for stopping by