So what is the best sweetener? Can you imagine if there was one that not only made your food taste delicious but offered you a huge healthy boost too? A sweetener that made you smile with every bite while supporting your body’s immune system and heart health with every spoonful? Believe it or not, there is such a sweetener hidden away and flowing freely in maple trees near you! And, believe it or not, maple sugar is a well-loved, less-refined sugar substitute in kitchens around the world.
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Okay, I know you’ve heard all about maple syrup, and you immediately know what to do with it when you’re handed a jar of it on a cool Saturday morning when there’s a stack of warm pancakes in front of you. But maple sugar? If you’re like most people, you don’t really know what to make of it. You’re not sure what you’d do with it. I mean you sure can’t pour a jar of it over your breakfast plate.
Today I’m not only going to fill you in on the amazingness of this all-natural granulated yumminess, and why I think it’s the best sweetener ever, but by the time you’ve scrolled to the end of this post you’ll know more than a dozen ideas of exactly what you want to do with maple sugar, you might not wanna wait another day to get your hands on some, you’ll be able to make your own (really!), and you’ll even find out how you can enter for a chance to WIN your own jar of maple sugar.
I take no responsibility for the obsession that results thereafter.
If you want to try your hand at making your own maple sugar, you’ll love my course I made just for you, Making Maple Sugar.
Many different factors about maple syrup impact how dark or light, fine or coarse, your sugar will turn out, but I can tell you every option is delicious. The picture below are all different batches of maple sugar I made this winter from our own maple syrup that we harvested here on our homestead last year. Some was early season (therefore lighter syrup), some late season (the darker, richer syrup), some gorgeously clear, and some cloudy with niter. Niter by the way, aka “sugar sand,” is a natural occurring mineral that is difficult to filter out of syrup some times. I explain more about that in this video if you’re interested. But look at that gorgeous variety of sugar colors and textures! Don’t you love it?
And, of course, if your sugar turns out coarser than you’d like, just give it a run though a food processor. I love this one for big jobs (especially making maple peanut butter) and this one for the little jobs.
Ten reasons this is the best sweetener you could ever use
Maple sugar creates an amazingly warm sweetness when used in baking.
Maple sugar has less calories than white sugar! (Now that’s sweet!)
Maple sugar has a low glycemic index, making it an ideal sweetener for those who suffer from diabetes.
Maple sugar is loaded with antioxidants that support the body’s immune system.
Maple sugar supports heart health.
Maple sugar is loaded with beneficial vitamins and minerals.
Maple sugar can lower inflammation.
Maple sugar is as all-natural as it gets. It was first made by the Native Indians in the United States and Canada.
Maple sugar is all the deliciousness of maple in easy-to-store granules. It was the Native Indians’ preferred product to make with maple sap because it’s the most practical product to store (since maple syrup requires canning and maple cream requires refrigeration).
Maple sugar, when purchased from a small sugar farm, helps sustain a valuable growing process and support a farming family. (If we expand our sugar-making process here on the homestead the way we hope to next winter, you’ll even be able to purchase maple sugar here, on SoulyRested. But for now, you’ll have to settle with entering to win a FREE jar of our maple sugar, below.)
Note: I am not a dietician or medical professional; really not an official expert of anything, except making mistakes. Can one be a professional mistake maker? 🙂 Anyway, consider this to be that mumbo-jumbo legal language telling you I’m not making any official claims in this post, just sharing information that I’ve gleaned over the years.
Now that you’re hooked on maple sugar’s tasty benefits, you may want to consider harvesting it yourself. If you have a few maple trees, I can’t recommend DIY backyard syrup enough. Keep reading for links to all you wanna know about that.
♥ DISCLOSURE: This post contains affiliate links. ♥
Consider these great resources.
If you’d like to be a pro at making your own maple sugar, look no further than my course I made just for you, Making Maple Sugar.The craziest part is that the bonuses far exceed the cost… so I’m kinda paying you to take this course. Now that’s sweet.
Would you like in-depth details of my own experiences with DIY backyard maple syrup–including all the things you’ll want to make sure NOT to do? Would you like to know exactly how to make your own maple sugar, even without taping one tree? Would you like lots of amazing recipes that use maple syrup and maple sugar? Check at my new book. Sweet Maple: Backyard Sugarmaking, from Tap to Table. Or go here to read reviews and take a peek inside.
Put your maple sugar where your oven is.
Of course, the Native Indians had it right. Sugar is so much easier to store, and even use, than liquid syrup. In baking, it provides all the flavor of maple syrup, and you don’t have to deal with converting the liquids in the recipe.
My favorite thing to bake with maple sugar? Spread it on rolled out buttered bread dough, add chopped walnuts or pecans, roll up like you would cinnamon rolls, and make maple-flavored sticky buns. Y.U.M.
Here are some amazing recipes to consider trying with a little maple sugar:
Enjoy some of these ideas, or experiment with your own. (And please share your favorites in the comments below!)
Replace white sugar with maple sugar in apple pie and apple crisp.
Use maple sugar in waffle and pancake recipes.
Sprinkle it on your warm, butter pancakes or waffles.
Shake some over your bowl of warm oatmeal.
Adorn cupcakes with maple sugar sprinkles.
Turn your next bowl of vanilla ice cream into a little bit of maple heaven.
Create a yummy maple sugar glaze, or a BBQ sauce, for ham or pork.
Shake some maple sugar, a touch of cinnamon, and some salt (over drizzled canola oil) over fresh-popped popcorn.
Use maple sugar to sweeten plain yogurt.
Sprinkle maple sugar on toast as you would cinnamon sugar.
Add a spoonful of maple sugar to your morning cup of tea.
Whether you make it or buy it, bake with it, shake it on, or stir it in, maple sugar is an amazingly delicious healthy sweetener that your family will truly love.
Remember to check out my course I made just for you, Making Maple Sugar. for all you wanna know about making maple sugar.
Glance at my Resource Page if you’d like to get a glimpse of other supplies I use for maple syrup making (as well as gardening, homeschooling, homesteading topics, nature journaling, and more).
And have you tried my a-MAAHZ-ing Maple Sugar Cookie recipe that’s in my Resource Library? You won’t find this deliciousness anywhere else… until Sweet Maple is in print this fall.
As soon as you subscribe, you’ll have immediate access to my subscriber library of resources, which I’m continually adding to. You’ll enjoy lots of printables, including an amazing recipe for a maple-flavored energy drink and my full-color, 5-chapter, 33-page eBook with recipes for Maple Popcorn and Melt-in-Your-Mouth Maple Blueberry Cake.
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2 thoughts on “Ten Reasons This is the Best Sweetener You Could Ever Use”
Those are great reasons! I’d love to try some.
Make sure to enter the giveaway that will be announced on Thursday morning; you might get to try some for free! 🙂