Nice maple sugar with sufficient water to dissolve it, 1 tablespoonful of vinegar to 2 pounds of sugar, and butter size of walnut. Boil until very hard when tried in water. Pour immediately into a buttered pan in which the nuts have been placed. Cut into sticks before cold.
Maple Opera Caramels.
Measure a cup and a half each of coffee and maple sugar, one cupful of cream, and a fourth of a small teaspoonful of cream of tartar, and boil the cream and sugar together, adding the cream of tartar, wet with a little cream, as soon as the syrup reaches the boiling point. Cook until a drop of syrup, lifted out on the point of a skewer and dropped into very cold water, may be rolled into a soft, creamy ball between the fingers. Care must be taken to stir the syrup incessantly, and also that the bottom of the pan or kettle does not come into direct contact with the fire, as the cream is very apt to scorch. When done, remove from the fire, flavor, and pour on a slab, sprinkled with a very little water. When cold, cream the candy as directed for fondant, and as soon as perfectly smooth, form into a sheet half an inch thick, using the rolling pin. Let it remain on the slab a few hours, when divide into strips and wrap in parafin paper.
Maple Molasses Cocoanut Squares.
Place in the kettle a scanty cupful of new maple molasses and a tablespoonful of butter, and, when boiling add a grated cocoanut. Cook over a slow fire, stirring until done. As soon as the hot candy will harden when dropped into cold water, pour it out upon a well buttered slab; and when hardened sufficiently cut it into squares and wrap in parafin paper.
Pulled Taffy.
Take three cupfuls of dry maple sugar, a cupful of vinegar and water in equal parts (one-third vinegar and two-thirds water may be used if the vinegar is very strong) and a piece of butter the size of a walnut. Boil the sugar, water and vinegar together until half done, then add the butter, stirring only enough to incorporate the butter thoroughly, and boil until done. Drop a little of the candy now and then into cold water and test by pulling it apart; if it snaps it is done and must be immediately poured upon a buttered dish to cool. Flavor with a little vanilla extract poured upon the top. When the taffy has cooled sufficiently to handle, it may be pulled, cut into short lengths and placed on buttered dishes or parafin paper.
Popped Corn and Nut Candy.
Take a tablespoonful of butter, three of water and one cupful of maple sugar; boil until it is ready to candy and then add three quarts of nicely popped corn. Stir briskly until the mixture is evenly distributed over the corn. Keep up the stirring until it cools when each kernel will be separately coated. Close and undivided attention may be necessary to the success of this kind of candy. Nuts are delicious prepared by this method.