Maple has so much to offer.

Yes, maple has far more to offer than just sweet, warm, deliciously subtle undertones…

— Maple has less calories than refined sugar. (Crazy, I know. But true.)

— It offers a low glycemic index–meaning, in moderation, it can be an ideal sweetener for those who suffer from diabetes.*

— It’s loaded with antioxidants that support the body’s immune system.

— It supports heart health.

— And it’s chocked full of beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Hmmmmm, all of that and yet we still choose refined sugar to sweeten our food and drinks. What does refined sugar have to offer us? That answer is a really short list: Calories.

In fact, I bake with maple syrup.

I love using maple in my kitchen so much, I put together a handy conversion chart to help you replace refined sugar with maple syrup in everything you bake.

So do you have a few people on your gift-giving list who might enjoy the warm flavor of maple, while reaping the amazing benefits of this all-natural sugar? Boy do I have some gift giving ideas for you!

DISCLOSURE:This post contains affiliate links.

For the Sweet Baker

Anyone who loves to bake will love trying some new maple recipes. Especially if you tell them how and why maple is such a fantastic alternative to refined sugar. Print out the Maple Blueberry Cake recipe you’ll find in my Resource Library, my Baking Conversion Chart you’ll find right here, and a copy of Sweet Maple. (Go here for info on many ways you can order my book–I’m so excited about this y’all!) Present the SWEET gift to them in  a beautiful cast iron skillet (I love the selection at Lehmans, right here).

You could even add a pint of maple syrup, and this beauty of a dish filled with blueberries for a gift they will never forget.

 

DISCLOSURE:This post contains affiliate links.

For the Sweet Tooth

Make them some amazingly yummy maple popcorn and wrap it in assorted sized tins or one like this. Include popcorn kernels and maple syrup, so they can make it themselves next time, along with a print out of the Maple Popcorn recipe from my free eBook, A Sweet Taste (available in my Subscriber Library). Even better, wrap up a copy of Sweet Maple as part of the gift… there are some great popcorn recipes in there as well. Add an air-pop popper and they’ll have all they ever need for the best popcorn ever.

Or get them some maple sugar you can find on Amazon. The sugar that will bring great joy to their coffee, tea, and cookies. And their own copy of Sweet Maple will teach them how to make more maple sugar when your generous gift runs out.

If you truly have no idea what to get them, try a maple syrup sampler, and a copy of Sweet Maple, because who can resist the joy of being a syrup connoisseur?

Or give the gift that I’ve always wanted… the makings of amazing, all-natural Maple Cotton Candy whenever you want it! Go here for a great cotton candy machine. (Note: make sure the model you choose has temperature controls, like this one does, or you will find your cotton candy tends to burn easily.) Then include a note card with directions: “Make your syrup into granulated maple sugar. Mix 1 part maple sugar to 4 parts pure cane sugar. Mix well and let your sugar combination to sit for a week or longer to ‘marinate.’ Use mix to make delicious maple cotton candy with no artificial colors or flavors.” And throw in a copy of my e-course on Making Maple Sugar if they aren’t yet experts at that.

Of course, any maple fanatic would always love a gift of this delicious maple syrup.

For Someone who Loves Sweet Clothes

There’s sure to be a few sweatshirts or shirts the maple fanatics in your life would love right here, in my online shop of Sweet Gear.

For a Sweet New Parent or Grandparent

There’s always the adorable baby onesie for the child or grandchild of a maple addict.

For the Wannabe Sugarmaker

If you know a maple addict who may want to try their hand at making some maple sugar, they may love my e-course on how to make maple sugar. Let me know you’re ordering it as a gift and I’ll send you a sweet Gift Certificate you can wrap for the recipient.

If you have some friends or family in your life who would love the challenge of harvesting and bottling their own golden sweetener, from a tree or two in their backyard, then read on.

My favorite sugarmaker put together this list of great items for you to choose from that will help your special someone get to work tapping some trees.

And by the way, a sugarmaker is not limited to tapping only maple trees! See the complete list of tappable trees here.

Pair up a few of these items with Sweet Maple, and the recipient will be an instant expert at marking and tapping trees, collecting precious sap, and boiling, bottling, creaming, and granulating the most amazing all-natural sugar known to man.

I’ve compiled the best of my favorite syrup-making resources in one place and any of these items would make a perfect gift for a newbie sugarmaker.

After you check out this list of fabulous gift ideas, consider wrapping up any combination of these must-haves for any newbie sugarmaker: a few taps, a few feet of tubing (or a lot!), and a few buckets, or this handy combination of 10 taps and tubing. a mini getting-started kit like this one. A big pan and propane stand (or a cord of wood). A candy thermometer. A reusable filter. A hydrometer along with a hydrometer test cup (they’ll need both together). mason jars.

And all sugarmakers love “fancy” syrup jars.  Here’s a link to a case of 8 oz. pretty glass bottles. Or, if you want a roomier option, these are 12 oz fancy jars. Honestly, I like having both sizes on hand, so I have some small ones to send home with folks who I just want to give a nice little gift to. The larger ones I save for extra special friends and family.

Just for fun

Do an amazon search for “maple syrup [fill in the blank with “mug” or “shirt”] and you’ll find all kinds of ideas, like this bumper sticker, t-shirt, and deck of playing cards.

 

 

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From my favorite sugarmaker and me

I hope that between my husband and I, we’ve come up with a few ideas that make your gift giving easier, more exciting, and a little more unique this year. And, from my favorite sugarmaker and myself, we wish you a truly blessed holiday season.