Maple Recipes for the Holidays

I love making and receiving homemade gifts for the holidays. Not only is the gift one of a kind and made with love, it's usually more appreciated with a lot less expense to you than buying gifts from a store.  

Every year I look forward to seeing the goodie baskets that come from my Mom's kitchen. They always include something Maple flavored. Family and friends love them and even the mailman and the school bus driver don't go without. 

Here are a few recipes for my favorite Maple treats that she has used over the years. The bread and popcorn recipes are from the 1998 Vermont Maple Festival Cookbook. The bread is amazing, especially with a little butter on top, and the popcorn is super easy and looks great in a little baggie with a ribbon.  The maple syrup pie is a family recipe that I posted in my last post, but I am putting it up again because I just love it that much. It makes an appearance every year at our family Christmas.

Maple Oatmeal Bread
(2 loaves)

3/4 cup boiling water
1 cup hot coffee
1 cup rolled oats, regular or old fashioned
1/3 cup shortening.
1/2 cup Vermont maple syrup
5-1/2 cups bread flour or enough to make stiff dough
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs, not beaten.

Combine boiling water, coffee, rolled oats, shortening, maple syrup, sugar, and salt.  Let this mixture cool until lukewarm.  Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and add to first mixture.  Blend in the eggs.  Gradually add the sifted flour and mix until smooth.  Add enough more flour to make a stiff dough.  Placed in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise  until double in size.  Knead very little and divide into 2 loaves.  Place in 2 well-greased bread pans.  Let rise again.  Bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour.

Christmas Popcorn

3 quarts popcorn, popped
scant teaspoon salt
1 cup Vermont maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons butter

Sprinkle salt over popped corn.  Cook butter, sugar, and syrup to 275 degrees on candy thermometer.  Pour over popcorn stirring constantly.  Stir every 5-10 minutes until cooled so popcorn will not all stick together.  

Vermont Maple Syrup Pie

1 Cup Pure Vermont Maple Syrup
1 Cup half and half
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Egg Yolks, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed in 1/4 cup water
1 Tsp. vanilla
1 pre-cooked pie crust

Warm together maple syrup, half and half and butter slowly. When butter is melted, add the egg yolks and cornstarch. Cook until thickened. When almost thickened, add 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour into 8-inch cooked pie shell. Cover top with a layer of real whipped cream. Keep refrigerated. Enjoy!