In thinking of a contribution to a series of posts for Valentine’s Day for CliqueClack food, I wanted to stay away from the usual ‘chocolate and flowers’ type of post. But since Valentine’s Day is all about giving something sweet and romantic to a loved one, I thought I should stay in the candy territory. Mix that idea with the fact that I come from the land of Maple Syrup and you get Maple Cream Balls and Maple Pralines! Bake them for your honey and put them in a nice gift box and voilà: you get a sweet Valentine’s Day gift.
Okay, I’ll admit it, I didn’t come up with the recipes myself as I’m a rookie cook. So thanks to the people behind Angie’s Realm for sharing with us these Valentine’s Day maple-y treats. When I’m a better and more experienced cook, I’ll definitely try baking one of these delicious candies.
Maple Cream Balls
Boil maple syrup and salt to soft ball stage (234-238 F). Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Add butter and vanilla extract. Beat until creamy. Add 1/2 of the nuts. Continue beating until mixture is sufficiently firm to mold into small balls. Roll balls in the remainder of the nuts. Place on waxed paper to harden.
Maple Pralines
Cook sugars, syrup, cream and salt over high heat until the mixture forms a soft ball (235 degrees) when dropped in water. Remove from heat. Add maple flavoring and pecans. Beat or stir until creamy. Drop from spoon onto waxed paper in bite size pieces. Yield: 4 to 5 dozen.
Real maple syrup is so delicious that it’ll definitely have the same effect on your loved one that chocolate would have. And when you compare the nutritional facts of 100 grams of maple syrup versus 100 grams of dark chocolate candies (% of cacao solids not specified), you can see that maple syrup candies are less calorific than the chocolate ones! Need more reasons why you should give your loved one maple syrup treats? It will turn into a more original gift than the usual chocolate box!
Clacked by Isabelle Carreau 
on Jan 26, 2009 @ 17:49 EST5EDT
