The best Maple Cream Fudge you'll ever taste

[Sunbeam]

When I was a kid, we used to make what we called Maple Cream fudge every year at Christmas time, as I recall it had cream, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla in the recipe, and it was good. Then, as an adult, I discovered the real thing. This is a Mennonite recipe- these folks know a thing or two about making candy.

Ingredients

1 litre Pure Maple Syrup
1 litre Table Cream, 18% M.F.

Method

Add ingredients to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or stockpot (it will bubble up a lot, don't try this in a small pan that looks fine with 2 litres of cold liquid in it!)

Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. If you're using a candy thermometer, we want to cook this to Firm-ball stage (245 degrees F). I usually keep a bowl of ice water beside the stove, dropping a bit of the mixture into the water gives a good visual indication.
See this chart: https://www.thermoworks.com/pdf/candy_t ... _chart.pdf

This is a long, slow cooking process. Keep stirring it regularly with a wooden spoon, and scrape the bottom of the pan to check for any tendency to burning. As the mixture thickens, you need to frequently reduce the heat to prevent burning on the bottom. Climbing those last few degrees on the thermometer seems to take forever.

When you hit 245 degrees/Firm ball, remove from heat, and place the pot in a large shallow pan (or the sink) of cold water. When cooled to luke-warm, beat vigorously until it thickens and loses its gloss. This will kill anything but a fairly heavy-duty electric mixer.

Spread quickly into a buttered 9x9 pan, chill, and cut into squares.

[Sunbeam]

I'm going to try a variation this year.

Back to the "when I was a kid" narrative, we used to make another version of (artificial) Maple Cream Fudge, which used Sour Cream. It was easier to get a very fine, smooth textured fudge with less beating, and had that slightly tart richness of the sour cream which took the acidic edge off the extreme buttery sugar-sweetness of the fudge. I don't have the recipe anymore, but it used too many crap ingredients, so we're going to extend the Mennonite principle: keep it simple.

How's that for over-use of adjectives, eh? How do you describe taste and texture?

Bought a new candy/deep fry thermometer today at Home Hardware for $4.99.
Bought a new top-line Kitchen Aid 7-speed DC motor handheld mixer at Canadian Tire for $99.
(Don't have room in the kitchen for a stand mixer )
Have an extra litre of maple syrup, Costco, $14
Will buy 2 500ml tubs of full-fat sour cream at No Thrills, about $4.

So, I'm going to make a $123.00 pan of Maple-Sour Cream Fudge next weekend

Approach: follow the recipe in the OP above, substituting 1l of sour cream for the 1l of 18%mf table cream.

My daughter revealed that she has been bragging to her fiance (a fudge-lover) about "the maple fudge Dad used to make", so I've been guilt-tripped

I'll let y'all know how it works out.
Merry Christmas!

[Sunbeam]

A new variation this year: 1l Maple Syrup, 1l Table Cream, 250ml Sour Cream. Cook to soft-ball stage, 240 degrees F. Chill. Beat well, spread in buttered 9x9 or 9x13 pan... best yet.