Maple toffee

Maple toffee is a confection that is made by boiling maple sap past the point where it would form maple syrup but not so long that it becomes maple butter or sugar. It is part of traditional Québécois culture and is also popular in Northern New England where it is more often known as Maple Taffy. It is not a traditional toffee as it consists solely of hardened maple syrup.

The confectionery is made either by boiling maple sap for a considerable period of time or by boiling maple syrup for several minutes. Both are cooked until they form a thick viscous liquid. This liquid is then poured in a molten state upon clean snow whereupon the cold causes it to rapidly harden. If when poured on the snow the syrup runs rather than hardens it has not yet been boiled long enough to make maple toffee. Once sufficiently hardened the toffee can be picked up and eaten. If the toffee is only exposed to the snow for a few seconds it will remain chewy while a longer exposure will turn it into a hard candy. Often sticks are laid out prior to the syrup being poured out allowing the toffee to form around them creating a lollipop like candy.

Most people prefer the chewy form of maple toffee and for this reason it is usually sold fresh and there is not a large commercial market for it. It is most often prepared and eaten alongside the making of maple syrup at cabanes à sucre.