All About Maple Syrup

Tucked away in our natural sweetener collection, lies pure maple syrup. Maple syrup is a fabulous replacement for white sugar. It’s nutritious benefits, distinctive flavor, and accessibility (almost just as common as honey!) make it an irresistible natural sweetener!

Why does maples syrup earn a spot in our Natural Sweetener Guide?

Maple syrup, in pure form is a sweet liquid that’s rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Those two properties are powerful in fighting diseases like diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Maple syrup is full of amino acids, enzymes and vitamins like calcium, zinc. magnesium and iron. Many of us are deficient in these important nutrients and having these minerals in our bodies helps our immune systems stay strong. Maple syrup can even help with digestion and weight problems if eaten in place of white sugar. What’s also cool about maple syrup is that it is included in many cleanses and weight loss regimes. This liquid is a healthy sugar replacement with some great benefits and will help you avoid sugar crashes, cravings or addictions.

What kind of maple syrup do we use?

Maple syrup comes from the maple tree. This pure product, devoid of corn syrup or sugars is the type of maple syrup that we use. In the United States, there are two types or grades of maple syrup, A and B. Grade A typically has a more mild flavor. Grade B has a very sharp maple flavor and is darker in appearance. Grade B also tends to be richer in vitamins and minerals like iron and magnesium. Both forms work great as a sugar substitute and either can be used based on preference. For those just starting out on the sugar-free diet, some may find the lighter, grade A type to suit their tastes because of it’s slightly more mild maple flavor and more familiar sweetness. It can often be a little less expensive too! But both will work for any of our recipes and it really comes down to what you and your family like best!

We could make a guess that most of you have some form or version of maple syrup in your fridge or pantry right now. If you already buy some kind of syrup for breakfast meals, you can make the switch to real maple syrup pretty easy! You can even dilute it a bit with water, agave or honey if it’s too strong a taste for your family. This also helps make the syrup go further! After our family did a little adjusting to the real product, we grew to like it and now some of our families favorite recipes use this sweet liquid!

How do we use Maple Syrup?

Because maple syrup has a strong flavor and is a liquid, it does present a challenge when trying to replace a dry, granulated product (sugar). We have been working with maple syrup in a variety of ways and we have found quite a few recipes that we love! Better yet, we have come up with recipes that do not even have a strong maple flavor, making it even more versatile.

However you feel about maple syrup, we hope to convince you that it can create divine healthy treats that anyone will enjoy:

 Maple Oat Bread

 

Could Be Raw Chocolate Cookies

Maple Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Almond Cinnamon Energy Balls

Maple Cinnamon Cereal Granola

Mint Pesto

No-Bake Girl Scout Tagalongs

Maple Vanilla Muffins

Raw Caramel Sauce

Easy Maple Jam Thumbprint Cookies

No-Bake Mint Chocolate Tart

Homemade Butterfingers

Vegan Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pancakes

We even enjoy the taste of maple syrup in savory dishes too!

Maple Tempeh Bacon Chili Bean Stuffed Potatoes

Maple Roasted Vegetables with steamed rice

Baked Maple Salmon

Where do we buy Maple Syrup?

Check out your local grocery store! Walmart, Costco, and Trader Joe’s always carries pure maple syrup. We love purchasing it from amazon!

It is wonderful that maple syrup is almost just as versatile as sugar but is healthier for us! Decreasing sugar in our diet has opened up this natural sweetener’s possibilities… especially for parties and holiday baking. It is a great sugar free substitute and we hope this information will make it more of an option for you!