My Kids Enjoy Maple Candy

We have never let our closet running empty, with good old 'maple syrup. My kids love the stuff, especially with their favorite breakfast. They have it with their whole grain pancakes, corn cakes, French toast, or just ordinary toast. we  began to worry at a time because we thought we had enough to indulge them with too much sugar (actually, we all have a sweet tooth in the family, themselves can not resist a piece or two of rich, gooey maple candy once in a while). So we did some research of my own and was surprised to find out that maple syrup is one of the few sweet deals that can actually be good for my children. One advantage is that it has fewer calories as a person would think, and far fewer quantities of sugar than honey does. Secondly, it is an excellent source of two trace minerals - zinc and manganese - which are important for energy and building the body's immune system and antioxidant defense. 

What should we have done, because we knew we cheated on my little picky children by giving them something sweet and delicious when it is actually quite healthy? Bring it on, of course! 

Since we started using organic Canadian maple syrup as a sweetener in their oatmeal, to pour on top of baked squash and sweet potatoes, and drizzle over their peanut butter and banana sandwich (skip the jelly, will you?). My kids really like organic maple butter toast or sandwiched between stacks of corn cakes or pancakes. To make maple butter, just mix 1 pound of softened butter ½ cup maple syrup, roll between parchment, kept in the refrigerator and cut into slices as needed. For a light snack or school lunch box treat, we make maple cookies, which are really just low-fat vanilla or plain cookies with a maple glaze on top. To make the glaze, simply combine 1 C pure Canadian maple sugar, 1 / 2 cup brown sugar, a little maple extract, a couple of teaspoons unsalted butter, all together on medium until it comes to a slow boil so you can brush it on your heating cookies. Let cool before serving (hint: the cookies taste better the next day). 

A tip: When you go to the grocery store, make sure you read the label and get "pure maple syrup" rather than "maple-flavored syrup". The former may be more expensive, but because it is not diluted with other ingredients, you get a richer, earthier flavor, making it worth the extra pennies. Also the lighter color, the more nuanced flavors. Reserves darker, amber-colored variety for cooking. Finally, remember that everything must be eaten in moderate amounts, and for God's sake, do not forget to brush the tiny teeth afterwards!