Well. A lot of life has been lived since I last popped in here!
A sugar shack has been built.
We’ve been collecting sap.
And look! Syrup! And sugar. And sugar bears!
Last spring my brother tapped a tree up at our cabin and just for fun boiled down a cup or so and made a thin syrup. That was all that was needed to get my dad’s wheels spinning and around Christmas, he and Brad and some of my brothers started a sugar shack. Mid February they purchased an evaporator and we’ve been learning the syrup details ever since.
What hard work! I’ll never again complain about the price of real syrup. It’s worth every penny.
I’ve been learning so much about trees, sap, and syrup the last few weeks. This week we made maple sugar and today I baked with it.
Whoa. So wonderful!! I never purchased maple sugar before so I don’t know if ours is the same but it made some fabulous muffins.
We also made some maple sugar candy and the leftover wet sugar I ground up and used in these muffins. I’m guessing these would be just as yummy using regular maple sugar but for now I’m writing the recipe exactly as I made it.
Maple Streusel Muffins
Topping:
1/3 cup moist maple sugar
1/4 cup fine maple sugar
3 T all-purpose flour
1/4 t cinnamon
2 T melted butter
Mix all together and set aside.
Muffins:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 T moist maple sugar
1 T baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 t salt
Mix floors, sugar, and baking powder in large bowl.
In small bowl mix egg, milk, butter, and salt. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and divide between twelve greased muffin tins. Sprinkle topping on evenly. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 15-18 minutes or til toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Remove from tins and place in a cloth lined basket. Eat immediately with a smear of butter. Swoon and repeat.
Yield: 12 regular muffins