How to Make Sugar on Snow (the Easy Way)

Sugar on snow is a treat that most Vermonters look forward to in the early spring each year. It’s a tradition that brings back memories of my childhood and being with family at the sugarhouse making maple syrup.

In early spring, you can get sugar on snow at the Vermont Maple Festival and many of the family sugarhouses that are open for Vermont Maple Open House weekend. Here’s how you can get your sugar on snow fix at home during the rest of the year!

First off: If you aren’t from Vermont, you might be wondering, what the heck is sugar on snow?

It’s maple syrup heated up to 235° and then poured over packed snow. When it hits the snow it turns into chewy candy that’s like the consistency of taffy - but tastes way better. You roll it up onto a fork and eat it with pickles to balance out the sweetness.

We still have snow lingering at our house, and it was fun for the kids to collect it and put it into bowls. But what if you don’t have snow? Just put 1-2 cups of crushed ice in the food processor and pulse until it turns powdery, and use that as your snow.

I was always afraid to make sugar on snow because using a candy thermometer to get it just right always felt too complicated, and I knew I would burn it. Actually, the first year I tried, I did. Throwing out burnt maple syrup crushed my soul. But, there is a better way friends!

All you have to do is microwave 1 cup of maple syrup in a 1,000 watt microwave for 6 minutes in a VERY large bowl to avoid spills. Then pour over the snow. That’s it!

Note: the wattage of your microwave is usually on the back, or inside. Adjust the time by 30 seconds to 1 minute, more or less if you have a weaker or stronger microwave.

If you’d like to be more precise, I’m sharing the pro candy thermometer way below in the recipe as well.

Enjoy!

Microwave Instructions:
Ingredients:
• 1 cup of pure Vermont maple syrup
• Butter for the bowl
 • Fresh, clean snow (if there’s no snow where you are, I recommend getting some ice and pulsing it in a food processor or blender until it’s powdery). Pack it into a shallow baking dish or bowls.

 Instructions:
1. Lightly grease an 8 cup glass bowl (this will prevent the syrup from over flowing).
2. Pour in 1 cup of maple syrup.
3. Cook for 6 minutes in 1,000 kw microwave. (Cooking time may vary between microwaves. The syrup will bubble up a lot, that’s normal).
4. Pour on packed clean snow & use a popsicle stick or plastic fork to twirl it up.

Stovetop Instructions:
• 1 - 2 cups maple syrup
• Fresh, clean snow
• A candy thermometer (you can use a meat thermometer.)
• Popsicle sticks, plastic forks…

1. Pour 1-2 cups of maple syrup (a little goes a long way) in a pot (preferably one with high sides, because the syrup will grow as it boils) and bring it to a boil until it is 235°.
2. If the syrup looks like it is going to boil over the edge of your pot, drop in a dollop of butter and the foaming will go down. Can repeat as needed.
3. Then drizzle the hot syrup over the packed snow. It’ll seize up almost immediately.
4. Use a popsicle stick or plastic fork to twirl it up,