What to do with maple syrup jelly?

April 28, 2022 8:59 AM

I have got my hands on some maple syrup jelly and being a Brit I have no idea what to do with it. I am open to suggestions for ways to eat it/recipes it can be used in.

My husband recently returned from a trip to Canada and as part of it there was an organised trip to a maple syrup farm/ranch/grow-op. Knowing I like all things sweet he picked up a litre of maple syrup and some maple syrup jelly.

However I have 0 idea what to do with the jelly (which I would call jam). And, to be honest, I have very little idea what to do with a litre of syrup other than put it on pancakes as maple syrup is very expensive in the U.K. and I don’t get it that often.

I am looking for suggestions and recipes for what I could do.

A few restrictions:

I am vegetarian.
My husband is allergic to eggs, nuts and seeds.

It would be great if any recipes could take that into account or at least be adapted so they are suitable.

Thank you in advance, hive mind.

posted by Nufkin to Food & Drink (23 answers total)

I'm from the US so maple stuff is a treat but not necessarily rare or ruinously expensive. I'd eat the jelly on toast with butter, and have the syrup on pancakes, cornbread, oatmeal, or grits. It's also very good with bacon (US-style, but probably others as well), sausage, and other savory breakfast foods, if your husband eats meat.

It will keep well under refrigeration so there's no reason not to hang on to it for when an opportunity presents itself--you don't need to feel like you need to use it all up, and a liter isn't that much, all things considered.

I don't generally cook with maple syrup or sugar as a sweetener, as the somewhat delicate flavor is easy to lose unless it's largely on its own, like in a sugar pie or whipped cream. Maple butter tarts are good, for instance, but I'm not aware of an egg-free recipe.
posted by pullayup at 9:23 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: It's great as an ingredient instead of sugar because it adds that nutty (pecan) and warm vanilla note.

Use with glazed vegetables such as winter vegetables: Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes, Squash, or Carrots

Use with baked goods, such as scones, fruit pies (goes well with pears, apples or peaches) or filo with goat cheese & caramelized onions.

Use it in place of honey

Make your own granola

There are quite a few cocktails that call for a little dash of maple syrup instead of simple syrup such as an old fashioned.
posted by typetive at 9:25 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]

I've never had maple syrup jelly/ jam, but it's probably great on toast.
Maple syrup is fantastic on oatmeal.
posted by theora55 at 9:28 AM on April 28, 2022

I use maple syrup to add a bit of sweetness to a vinaigrette. I go through a couple of bottles a year doing this. The opened bottle gets stored in the fridge.

It's good with salmon or pork if your husband cooks those. I grew up with it being drizzled a bit on ice cream.

Murchies sells tea blends with maple flavour added, so maybe use it in your tea if you like it sweetened?
posted by TORunner at 9:41 AM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

I have heard of some people who'll occasionally (as a treat) put maple syrup instead of sugar in their tea and/or coffee. I'm not sure if there are particular kinds of tea and/or coffee that are more or less suited for this purpose.
posted by mhum at 9:43 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: As a Canadian, I'm ashamed to say that I've never had maple jelly, but this website has the following suggestions : this maple jelly marvellously goes with ice cream, pancakes, waffles, yogurts, desserts…Spread over fresh bread or toasts, it is a delight. Use it to glaze a cake or in gravy for wild meat and duke. Being in Britain, dukes should be readily available, but then again, you are vegetarian, so I guess it's off. Maple syrup goes great with baked beans, so the jelly would too. You could substitute it for maple syrup in this Quebec baked beans recipe (which you then serve on toast, thus uniting the great culinary contributions of our respective countries). I would skip the precook step. The great thing about this stuff is that it should last just about forever. It might crystallize after a while (like honey) but will still be very good.
posted by bluefrog at 9:47 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

Syrup is a good sweetener for plain greek yogurt with some berries or fruit in it, since the liquid nature of the syrup helps smooth the chalky texture of the yogurt more than honey or sugar. Same for oatmeal, porridges, etc.
posted by true at 9:57 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

Maple syrup blended into a good plain yogurt makes an excellent dessert — no berries or any other add-ins needed.
posted by sesquipedalia at 10:03 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

I don’t know what maple jelly is, but the best thing to make with mystery jam and bits of preserves that need using up is thumbprint cookies. There are plenty of eggless recipes for them. If you’re unfamiliar, they are typically a shortbread or sugar cookie base that you make into balls, press your thumb (or the bowl of a melon baller or a teaspoon measure) into the center, and fill that divot with jam before baking. They come out colorful and ever so slightly caramelized. I bet maple thumbprint cookies would be delicious and perfect with some fresh blueberries and coffee or black tea on the side.

Maple syrup is a great base for glazes. Make a mixture of maple syrup, soy sauce, and minced garlic, and baste it on whatever protein you are roasting. I especially like it on salmon. But you can also do it in a pan glaze. Maple glazed carrots are awesome. Slice them into coins, sauté them in some butter to get a little color, then add a liquid to just not quite cover them - I like a combo of orange juice and water, I’ve used cranberry juice or lemon juice instead, or gone more savory with chicken stock. Add a few tablespoons of maple syrup and salt to taste, mix it all together ensuring you get up any fond, and cover the pan to bring it up to a boil quickly. Uncover and let the liquid evaporate. Pay attention and don’t let the sugars burn, and you should have tender carrots in a shiny maple glaze once most of the liquid has boiled off. You can make it more luxurious by melting an extra pat of butter in there to finish. This is good with parsnips, turnips, yams, winter squashes, pretty much any sturdy or starchy vegetable.

I went through a phase where I was adding maple syrup to fruit smoothies. Classic strawberry banana is improved a great deal with the rounded nuttiness of maple syrup, just a hint. Great with a green juice too, like kale and apple and celery, if you are that kind of person.

Maple syrup lasts forever in the freezer. It doesn’t freeze solid so you can keep it in there to preserve the complexity of flavor and pour out a bit when you need it. Unless you super really want to use it up, or you truly don’t have the freezer space, I’d just use it on pancakes and ice cream and use it up over a few years, and not stress about getting creative with it.
posted by Mizu at 10:20 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I'm from the US so maple stuff is a treat but not necessarily rare or ruinously expensive.

I'm from Vermont so we're legally obligated to have the stuff in our fridge at all times. In the fridge it will keep nearly forever once opened. Besides the obvious pancakes a few other things that syrup can be good for.

- as others have said it's great in yogurt or also drizzled over ice cream
- I have made my own granola which is great when made with syrup. In that recipe I would sub out the sunflower seeds and almonds for either more dried fruit or something else that could add crunch that is in your husbands "OK" list (puffed rice?)
- I use syrup to sweeten banana breads, here is my hard to read recipe but it has eggs, you can sub in 1/4 cup applesauce and add about ½ tablespoon baking powder for a no-egg version
- as others have said, it's really good with balsamic vinegar as a vinaigrette or even a wash for something like tofu if you are tofu eaters (meats too obvs but that's not super useful to you)

I like maple jelly on crackers or toast, it's not a really popular form of maple out here so we're usually working with syrup. My local sugarmakers have a recipes section on their website which may give you some other ideas.
posted by jessamyn at 10:27 AM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]

I love maple syrup over a bowl of oatmeal, either rolled or steel cut, with a pat of butter melting in the oats. Perfection.

If maple jelly is anything like maple cream, it is stunningly good on bread; I especially like it on challah and English muffins.

If you're making an eggy treat just for yourself, maple syrup is wonderful on French toast.
posted by carrioncomfort at 10:55 AM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: You can use maple syrup anywhere you would use honey, brown sugar, or other syrups like agave. It will add a little bit of maple flavour for a little complexity to the sweetness, so you probably don't want to swap it in where white sugar or simple syrup is called for unless you want to bring in flavour and not just sweet.

It is good for baking, but I think it really shines when used in sauces, dressing, or glazes. Try making a simple balsamic and maple syrup salad dressing, Glaze your roasted veggies. Mix it with soy sauce, garlic, and chilis for a stir fry. It works for all those kinds of things.

If you like to sweeten your tea or coffee then you should definitely try using maple syrup as your sweetener instead of sugar or honey. It is also good with any kind of creamy dessert like cheesecake, ice cream, whipped cream and fruit, etc.

For the jelly (we wouldn't call it jam in Canada because there is no fruit) you can use that anywhere you would spread a thick honey, like on toast. Personally, I would use it on a charcuterie board along with things like mustard, pickles, cheeses, breads, fine meats, etc. I think jelly of all kinds goes very nicely with soft and creamy cheeses. That would let it shine since it is presumably uncommon in your area and will be a fun thing to add to a board if you have company to share with.
posted by forbiddencabinet at 10:58 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

I live in New England. Sometimes I mix a spoonful of peanut butter with a spoonful of maple syrup. It is REALLY not good for you, but it's one of the most amazing, decadent tastes of all time.
posted by nosila at 11:43 AM on April 28, 2022

Best answer: Along with drizzling on yogurt and oatmeal you can make some great maple syrup desserts. Smitten Kitchen has a bunch, like nutmeg maple cookies, pudding cake, scones, and this pie!
posted by nantucket at 11:52 AM on April 28, 2022

I live in New England and have never heard of maple syrup jelly - the sugar houses here make syrup, candy, cream spread, and sugar, but those are just different levels of reductions. Looks like what you have is maple syrup mixed with gelatin, right? In that case I'd think it has a limited application: toast. Try it on some toast like you would any other jam, see how that goes. Or mix into yogurt
posted by epanalepsis at 1:02 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

This vegan sweet potato casserole uses maple syrup and is really really good. You can definitely leave out the pecans from the topping and still have it be amazing. It's a special occasion (Thanksgiving and Christmas) side dish in our house. My guess is that a casserole this sweet is probably not a common side dish in the UK, so call it dessert if you want.
posted by hydropsyche at 1:27 PM on April 28, 2022

I served this Maple Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Salad 10 years ago at a fall potluck, and people still talk about it!
posted by jgirl at 1:45 PM on April 28, 2022

Best answer: I don’t know about maple jelly but I use maple syrup to sweeten whipped cream for certain dishes (esp items with stone fruit or apples), and I also use maple syrup in my salad dressing (which is olive oil, champagne vinegar, little bit mustard, little bit maple syrup).
posted by vunder at 1:52 PM on April 28, 2022

1 part Maple Syrup + 1 part mayonnaise/mayo sub + 1/2 part brown sugar = an excellent spread to put on turkey/tofurkey sandwiches.
For hot: add roasted red peppers and smoked cheddar cheese, melt/toast/grill.
For cold: add sliced red peppers and smoked cheddar cheese, enjoy.
I don't know why it's so good but it is.
posted by Gray Duck at 2:28 PM on April 28, 2022

Pour syrup over 4 cups of raw almonds and walnuts, sprinkle with a tsp of sugar, toast in oven for 20 minutes, stirring once. Cool and eat.
posted by Enid Lareg at 7:29 PM on April 28, 2022

I'm curious: I'm Canadian and thought myself relatively educated on maple issues, but I've never heard of "maple jelly". I have had (and love) "maple butter" which is pure maple sap boiled down to be halfway way between syrup (liquid, usually medium to dark brown in the bottle but translucent) and maple sugar (light brown crystalized solid). The "maple butter" I've had is not translucent at all, but light brown (like the sugar) and a similar texture to creamed honey (very viscose liquid / very soft solid, thus the "butter" description).

Is this what you have, or do you have something else which maybe has other ingredients, like being made with maple syrup and some kind of thickener so that it has a jelly-like consistency, but is still more clear in its colour like a jelly? (Canadians use both words - jam for a fruit preserve with the whole fruit, jelly for one that is strained like apple jelly - jellies can be seen through if light coloured.)

Either way: putting it on pancakes or toast would be delicious. If it is like maple butter, anywhere you might use creamed honey would work (it's of a similar sweetness as well as thickness).
posted by jb at 8:07 AM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]

After seeing the link from up thread, it does seem like maple jelly is a different product from maple butter (which may be like the maple cream referred to above).

But it should be good on toast, crumpets, or in a decidedly not-British peanut butter and jelly sandwich? (PB and honey is delicious). Also spread on crepes, sandwiched in a sponge cake.
posted by jb at 8:13 AM on April 29, 2022

Response by poster: For all those who asked what the Maple Jelly was here is a link to a tweet with some images: https://twitter.com/Nufkin/status/1520068100460322817

I think it is now going to be used on a cheese board at a cheese party with some (cheese) friends.

The syrup will be used in some baking. I may have to kick the husband out of the kitchen for a while to do some egg-inclusive baking though as I’d rather try the recipes ‘as they should be’ before messing with them to make them egg-free.

Thank you all.
posted by Nufkin at 8:53 AM on April 29, 2022