How to make maple cream aka maple butter

Last Updated on March 28, 2024 by Michelle

Maple cream is the most decadent way to enjoy all-natural maple syrup. It’s a creamy maple spread that is as delicious topping a saltine cracker as it is slathered over a hot, out-of-the-oven cinnamon roll. So how do you make maple cream (also called, incorrectly, “maple butter”)?

Ahhhh, I’m glad you asked.

I’ve been making maple syrup for a decade and maple cream for almost as long. And it’s–hands down–my favorite way to enjoy maple syrup.

This is my favorite way to consume my favorite sugar, so, friend, let me rock your world and tell you exactly how to make some amazing maple cream.

I guess I’m getting a little famous for my creamy talent, Fox News even called for an interview… Read the full article of my talk with Fox News here.

Table of Contents

What is maple cream made of?

Maple cream is one ingredient. Pure, genuine maple sap, from a maple tree, collected drop-by-drop and boiled down into syrup then boiled down even more and agitated just right (aka stirred a lot).

I don’t know how one ingredient (espeially one as “odd” as tree sap) can be so angelically delicious, but folks, there’s no denying this. Maple cream is possibly the most glorious taste you will ever experience.

how to make maple cream aka maple butter start with the best maple syrup

How to Make Maple Cream

You’ll need 2 quarts of genuine maple syrup to make roughly 5 cups of maple cream.

Maple cream, just like any other confection made from maple syrup, starts off as supersaturated syrup. The exact temperature of the syrup, how you stir (or don’t stir) the syrup, and how you cool the syrup all have an impact on what you wind up with. All of these factors impact the size of the crystals that form in your concoction.

As you heat it to make sugar or cream, the syrup becomes viscous and, if left alone, will start to solidify (think hard candy) before crystals can form and grow.

On the other hand, if that hot, supersaturated syrup is stirred while it’s cooling, it will form crystals. I’m told that the mechanical motion of the spoon causes microscopic crystal nuclei to form (or something like that). Basically, if you keep stirring, you form crystals, mix those tiny crystals throughout the thickened syrup, and cause them to grow in size and increase in number. Depending on what you want to make, you’ll need different sizes of crystals.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll turn those crystals into maple cream. Here’s how…

how to make maple cream aka maple butter start with the best maple syrup

Maple Cream, step by step

Ingredients:

2 quarts 100% maple syrup

Directions:

Pour maple syrup into a large pan that is at least twice the size of the volume of the syrup. The syrup will bubble and rise. A lot.
Insert a candy thermometer into the pan, attached to the side and not touching the bottom of the pan.
Boil until the syrup reaches a temperature of 234°F (or 22°F above the boiling point of water where you live), this may take 20 minutes or more.
While your syrup is rapidly boiling, prepare an ice bath, filling an extra-large bowl (a good big bigger than your pan) at least 1/2 way with ice cubes.
When boiling syrup reaches the right temperature, immediately move your pan into the ice bath.
Watch the temperature of your syrup closely until it reached 100°F (this took 25 minutes the last time we made maple cream and I thought to actually time the process), then start stirring, with a sturdy spoon. We like to have 2-3 people on hand and switch out the duty every few minutes. We stirred for 15 minutes before we wound up with cream.

Notes about making maple cream

As you stir, you’ll notice your contents getting lighter in color and thicker in consistency, until suddenly, like magic, you’ve made the most delicious form of sweetness know to man. (Okay, I may be a little bias…)
You’ll notice a color change as you work through the steps. It’s a dark color at first (assuming your syrup is dark) pand turns into a light, almost peanut butter color.
You’ll hear pops occationally as you stir. This is normal.
It may look a little “stringy” as you stir. But keep strenuously stirring.

What’s the difference between maple butter and maple cream?

Sugarmakers will refer to this delicacy as “maple cream.” Manufacturers will occationally add butter to it and then it’s officially “maple butter.” But maple cream is 100% maple syrup. Zero anything else.

How long does maple cream last?

If your maple cream is sealed well it can last at room temperature for quite a while, but once it’s opened you do need to refrigerate it.

You’ll notice the maple cream will most likely separate over time (no problem if you have liquid maple syrup forming on the top, just mix it back in before enjoying), but it will last for many long months in the fridge.

More recipes if you like making maple cream

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“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31

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