• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Art of Doing Stuff
menu icon
go to homepage
  • HOUSE
  • COOKING
  • GARDEN
  • HOW-TO
  • EXTRA
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • HOUSE
    • COOKING
    • GARDEN
    • HOW-TO
    • EXTRA
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Canning

    Traditional Hand Stirred Maple Cream aka Maple Butter

    April 7, 2020 by Karen 121 Comments

    Pin2K
    Share
    Email
    2K Shares
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Maple Cream aka Maple Butter

    Maple Butter, Maple Spread, Maple Cream, whatever you want to call it, now that you know it exists you're doomed.  IT'S deadly DELICIOUS and it only takes one ingredient.  Maple syrup.

    Spoonful of maple butter rests on jar of maple butter.

    Skip right to the recipe.

    If you've never had maple butter I need you to stand at attention and listen for once. You need to make it right now. There is only one ingredient - maple syrup. Maple butter is solid, creamy, spreadable maple syrup.


    HOW EASY IS IT TO MAKE?

    Like all delicious things it's kind of complicated.  Here's what you need to do.

    Pay close attention to the following instructions:

    BOIL MAPLE SYRUP ... THEN STIR IT. Yup. That's all there is to it.


     People overuse the word miracle all the time because they have no respect for the true meaning of it.  If they can fit in their pants after Christmas they say it's a miracle. That's not a miracle, that's Spandex.

    Maple butter however, is a maple miracle.

    I make my own maple syrup by tapping my own maple tree and trees in my neighbourhood.  So I've been trying to figure out a few different ways to use it beyond hiding behind a curtain and chugging it straight out of the bottle.

    Enter Maple Cream. (Maple butter and maple cream are the same thing)

    Table of Contents

    • What's maple cream aka maple butter?
    • How to Make Maple Cream
    • Traditional Maple Cream

    What's maple cream aka maple butter?

    It's maple syrup that's been (miraculously) transformed into a creamy, spreadable, butter-like consistency through a process of crystallization.

    It's meant to be spread on English muffins, or toast or even ... on a grilled cheese with bacon and green apples.

    I prefer to eat the maple butter by taping the jar to my head and licking my way to the bottom like an anteater.

    So you want to make some?

    Let's do this.

    How to Make Maple Cream

    What You Need

    Wooden spoon
    Icecubes
    Maple Syrup
    Bowl
    2 pots
    Thermometer

    Cooking pot sits in bowl of ice water.
    1. Pour 3 cups of light to medium maple syrup into a pot.
    Pouring Maple Syrup into a copper pot sitting on a stainless steel range.

    Do it with flair.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    Thermometer reading 235 in pot of boiling maple syrup.

    2. Boil over medium/low heat WITHOUT STIRRING until the syrup reaches 235 F.

    3.  Immediately pour syrup into a pot set in an ice bath.  Let stand WITHOUT STIRRING until the syrup cools to 100 F.  (this will take around 10 minutes)

    Pouring boiled maple syrup into pot set in ice water.

    Please enjoy this Little House on the Prairie moment ... I didn't have enough ice for an ice bath so I went outside and pulled some frozen sap out of my sap buckets to use as ice.  

    Maple syrup filled pot surrounded by chunks of ice taken out of sap buckets.

    4. Once the syrup has lowered in temperature to 100 F., remove the pot from the ice bath and start stirring.

    Don't stir like a crazy person, you don't want to beat air into it.  You just want to stir it.  You will be stirring for a long time.  Like, half an hour. I focused on watching television to get my mind off of my sore arm.

    Karen Bertelsen stirring maple syrup in pot.

    Eventually the syrup will start to lighten (after about 15 minutes of stirring) and then you have to keep stirring.   Once it gets to be this very light colour, you don't have long to go.

    Very light coloured maple cream on a wood spoon.

    5. Continue to stir the syrup until it goes from shiny to dull and holds its shape as you run the spoon through it.  This means it's set up, the crystallization process is complete and you can STOP STIRRING!

    The last stages of stirring maple cream. The wood spoon leaves trails behind it.

    6.  Immediately pour it into your containers before it sets up too much to pour.

    Pouring thick maple cream into Weck jars on linen tea towel.

    You now have maple cream which you stirred by hand which makes you a badass.

    It's now that I let you know you can also use a stand mixer to do this. But then you won't be a badass with maple cream you'll just be some schmo with maple cream.  The choice is yours.

    To do it with a stand mixer, instead of stirring it by hand use the stand mixer set to "stir", or "low" with the paddle attachment. Whichever your stand mixer has as the lowest setting. Don't forget to scrape down the sides.

    Weck jar filled with maple cream draped with silver chain with tag reading "Maple Cream".

    Maple butter will last for 6 months in the refrigerator.  Which is a handy little tip in case you take a blow to the head and forget you own delicious Maple butter.  (There would be no other explanation for not eating it all in a week.)

    Two silver spoons. The one on the left holds a light, thick, maple cream. The one on the right holds dark, thin maple syrup.

    The difference in these two forms of maple syrup is amazing.  It is the exact same thing, just the structure of it has changed through the heating and then stirring of it to achieve crystallization.

    The crystals are so small your tongue can't detect them.

    Display of mason jars filled with maple cream and bottles of maple syrup on an antique pine counter with a marble top. Sap bucket with wood spoon in background.

    `

    Every person I've had taste this has had the same reaction. Their eyes roll into the back of their heads.

    Traditional Maple Cream

    A spreadable version of maple syrup.
    4.47 from 32 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: condiment
    Cuisine: Indigenous
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Stirring Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 40
    Calories: 65kcal
    Author: Karen

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups Maple Syrup Light - Medium

    Instructions

    • Bring the Maple Syrup to a boil in a pot over medium/low heat. Boil until it reaches 235 degrees F. without stirring then remove from heat immediately.  This will take around 15 minutes.
    • While the syrup is boiling get an ice bath ready with a pot set in a bowl of ice.
    • As soon as it has reached 235 degrees F, pour the boiled syrup into the pot set in the ice bath.  Leave it until it the syrup drops in temperature to 100 degrees F.    Don't disturb it at all while it rests.
    • Once at 100 degrees F. remove the pot from the ice bath and start stirring.  Don't stir vigorously ... you don't want to beat air into the syrup ... just stir it.
    • Keep stirring. The syrup will start to lighten.  Keep stirring. After about 30 minutes of stirring the syrup will be very light and resemble tahini but still be glossy with the consistency of cream. KEEP STIRRING.
    • The syrup will now finish crystallizing, set up and be come duller. Once your spoon starts to leave paths in the syrup you can stop stirring.
    • Pour the Maple Cream into your jars right away before it becomes to difficult to pour.

    Notes

    Remember to use only light to medium, Grade A maple syrup.
    Do NOT stir while heating or cooling the syrup. Stirring will cause premature large crystals to form and your cream will be grainy not smooth and creamy.  
    I even go so far as to leave the thermometer in my syrup as it's cooling so I don't have to stick it in and pull it out for temperature checking.
    Maple Cream will last 6 months in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 54mg | Sugar: 14g | Calcium: 26mg

    If you're wondering about that whole grilled cheese thing I mentioned at the beginning, this is the sandwich I'm thinking of trying it on. I realize maple syrup on a grilled cheese sandwich might sound gross, but it's not.  It's a miracle.

    →Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←

    Traditional Hand Stirred Maple Cream aka Maple Butter

    More Canning

    • Tomato Overload? How to Store, Ripen, & Survive the End-of-Season Harvest
    • A Simple Guide to Canning Beets
    • How to Press & Can Tomatoes | Making Sauce
    • Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image, audio. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

    1. Julie

      March 20, 2025 at 5:05 pm

      I'm still stirring!!!!!! Here's hoping it stiffens up soon lol. I'll use my kitchenaid next time tho....can't wait!!!

      Reply
      • Karen

        March 21, 2025 at 11:55 am

        LOL. And? ~ karen

        Reply
        • Julie

          March 21, 2025 at 12:29 pm

          It’s the best thing that has ever passed anyone’s lips in the history of everywhere. Bit I’m actually not kidding I’ve done myself a soft tissue injury in my shoulder 😂

        • Karen

          March 21, 2025 at 11:10 pm

          Noooo. O.K. Maybe I'll go the motorized route this time. It looks absolutely perfect though! ~ karen

    2. Randy P

      March 18, 2025 at 12:15 am

      It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I'm energy frugal to the point of inertia. A quick Amazon scan showed a Quebec based company called 'Biodelices' fobbing their maple butter spread? It is $18USD for 200g of the stuff. Any opinions on this store-bought substitute for home-made.?

      Reply
      • Karen

        March 18, 2025 at 11:08 am

        Well I have no idea! I've never tried the store bought. I'm guessing home stirred is better, but with your frugal energy condition, I'm sure store bought would be fine. Around the 3rd year of inertia your tastebuds start to fall off in an attempt to make food taste less overwhelming, so I think you're good. ;) ~ karen!

        Reply
    3. Roxy

      December 13, 2024 at 3:21 pm

      What do you do if you stirred too long and now it’s stiff 😳 my hands are sore 🤪 it tastes amazing but it’s definitely not spreadable. Please tell me I can fix it!

      Roxy

      Reply
      • Karen

        December 13, 2024 at 11:52 pm

        Uh oh! It sounds like you made maple sugar. Which is fine! Grind it so it's nice and powdery and use it like sugar. Orrrr (and I have no idea if this will work) but you could try to melt it again by putting it in a bowl and then setting that bowl in hot water. ~ karen!

        Reply
      • Roxy

        December 14, 2024 at 5:33 pm

        It wasn’t that hard 🤣
        It was more like a firm fudge. I did add some more syrup and heat it slowly and stirred until it was a better consistency. We shall see how that holds up. Thank you for responding.

        Reply
    4. Dennis

      November 12, 2024 at 4:16 pm

      Are there any considerations to be made for high altitude? It lightened in color as I stirred but went "solid" all of a sudden. It was never really creamy. It was pretty stiff even at 100 degrees. I would appreciate any suggestions! Rated on success only!

      Reply
    5. Anna Marie Mangili

      September 13, 2024 at 5:06 pm

      Well, I FINALLY made this after having it bookmarked for almost 2 years. It is delicious! But man oh man were my arms tired. I stirred for an hour. It didn't start to lighten up until then. I finished it with a single beater on my hand mixer for another 10 minutes. It hasn't been in the frig yet. I'm interested in how firm it will get. It does tasty creamy and dreamy

      Reply
    6. Carrie

      October 18, 2023 at 7:00 am

      Thank you for this recipe. I am excited to try it. My question is can you “can” or somehow preserve it for it to last longer or sit on a shelf. I wanted to make it for Christmas gifts.

      Reply
    7. Ingrid

      April 05, 2023 at 11:31 am

      Hello thank you for sharing this recipe. I should have read the comments first. I just finished pouring it into jars but it is not the texture like you show for the end results. After 60 minutes of stirring, and yes I was a schmo and used the electric mixer, it just didn't advance. We used a thermometer to gage the temperature, we did not stir while boiling and cooling. And we used our home made maple syrup.

      Any suggestions or advise would be appreciated as I'm sure I will try again.

      Reply
    8. Mary

      February 02, 2023 at 6:00 pm

      Karen, this looks delish and I’m trusting you when you say that it’s easy to make! I would love to make maple cream to give at Christmas so…how much maple cream does 3 cups maple syrup make?

      Reply
      • Giselle

        March 24, 2023 at 9:08 pm

        I’d like to know too. I hope it is more than that little jar she has in the picture. Maple butter is divine!

        Reply
    9. Kat - the other 1

      November 30, 2022 at 1:54 am

      "The crystals are so small your tongue can't detect them."
      As the next picture downloaded slowly onto the page, I just knew it would be a picture of your tongue.
      It wasn't. I'm a little disappointed. Lol.
      Also, MAPLE CREAM HOT BUTTERED RUM!!!!!!
      w / cinnamon!!!
      Need I say more? 😁

      Reply
    10. Larry Wyatt

      September 19, 2022 at 5:41 am

      Hello, I found your blog looking for a way to cream maple syrup .
      I raise honey bees and make creamed honey, which people love!

      My question is what happens if you run the mixer on higher speed?
      I know it will introduce air and that is okay, I want to make a lighter
      more fluffy if you will product.
      IF I goof and do not achieve the results I want, can I simply re-melt the syrup and try again?
      Thank you for your time,

      Reply
      • Karen

        September 19, 2022 at 10:11 am

        Hi Larry! You can try it and just see what happens! I'm all for experimenting. Although you may end up with a very grainy product instead of something incredibly smooth. ~ karen!

        Reply
        • Heather

          November 20, 2022 at 8:19 pm

          Ok..well I can tell you what happens when you beat too high. You basically get maple fudge. Not a bad thing but it’s definitely no cream. It’s solid and has the crystals like fudge. Gonna try again and leave it on stir. I had ready another recipe that called for medium speed. NOPE! Lol

    11. Deana

      July 03, 2022 at 6:28 pm

      Maple Cream and Maple Butter are two different products. It should not say they are the same thing. They are far from the same.

      Reply
      • Mary

        February 02, 2023 at 6:04 pm

        So…….what is the difference?

        Reply
        • Kevin

          March 22, 2023 at 4:21 pm

          Maple Cream is made from maple syrup only.
          Maple Butter is made with maple syrup and butter.
          Both are great.

    12. EB

      June 26, 2022 at 9:35 am

      You forgot the warning: "Will cause Maple Orgasms". I love this stuff. My family has a small maple syrup business in western NY. Nothing like eating maple cream. Truly a miracle !

      Reply
      • Karen

        June 27, 2022 at 9:23 am

        It really is! And yes, a maple orgasm is like no other, lol ~ karen!

        Reply
    13. Joanne

      April 20, 2022 at 9:45 am

      I reserved some maple syrup this year just for maple cream. I was gifted a jar some years ago and loved it. I’ve bought a few jars as a special treat to myself but this year I’m making my own. It’s a miracle I found your recipe as I was ready to try another. It has absolutely vanished from the 150 tabs I have open. 😉 so I searched. “Traditional” piqued my interest. Not only did your recipe make logical sense, knowing the characteristics of Maple Syrup from boiling it from sap, you have punctuated it with candid humour that had me LingOL and reading it to anyone who’d listen. I was quite intimidated by the process as some have tried and ended up with rock hard “cream” but now I’m ready with my grandmother’s wooden spoon, icecubes I just happen to make two days ago, and my own maple premium syrup. I’m sending this message before I make it because you’ll probably never hear from me again. I don’t expect this to fail as you have been exhaustively thorough so I won’t be writing to tell you how good it is. You know what I’ll be doing!!

      Reply
    14. Lisa hedrick

      April 09, 2022 at 4:22 pm

      So easy! And OMG delicious! I’ll definitely be making this often!!!

      Reply
      • Karen

        April 10, 2022 at 10:48 pm

        Isn't it ridiculously delicious?! And so smooth you can barely feel it in your mouth. ~ karen!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    SHOP ON AMAZON

    Use it 👆 to support my work. LEARN MORE

    My name is Karen Bertelsen and I was a television host. In Canada. Which means in terms of notoriety and wealth, I was somewhere on par with the manager of a Sunset Tan in Wisconsin.

    I quit television to start a blog with the goal that I could make my living through blogging and never have to host a television show again. And it’s worked out. I’m making a living blogging. If you’re curious, this is how I do that.

    So I’m doing this in reverse basically. I’m the only blogger who is trying to NOT get a TV show.

    More about me 👋

    Seasonal Articles

    • Turtles Can Fly, and Other June Discoveries
    • How to Clean a Crystal Chandelier
    • Garden Tool Handle Repair
    • 👉 14 Common Garden Oddities (and What to Do About Them)
    • How Does a Venus Flytrap Work? Meet Maureen
    • Garlic Scapes 101: Harvesting and Cooking Guide

    Popular Articles

    • This Is Where I Try To Buy Your Love
    • Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries & Sriracha Mayo Dip
    • A Year Full of Pots: Win Sarah Raven's New Book
    • The Difference Between People Who Eat Mayo & People Who Eat Miracle Whip
    • Your FIRST look at my new kitchen in Canadian Living Magazine.
    • How to Print an Image on Wood.

    Footer

    as seen in

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    1499 shares