Since that first disastrous experience in my kitchen in Hamilton, I have done some research on making confections, gone to the OMSPA (Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association) event in Peterborough, Ontario, gone to an equipment supplier's in Michigan (the family makes their own syrup and related products), acquired some recipes, detailed cookbooks, and a book on some of the relevant science on cooking with sugars, and feel somewhat more accomplished at cooking syrup.
I still have some problem confections, still quite edible and yummy, but not at the level of aesthetics that I would sell to the public. Withthese recipes, I have to figure out the issues with the temperature and humidity, and possibly agitation and cooling periods and rates. I knew making candies would be difficult, but who knew chemistry was involved? Luckily, I like to learn new things.
I have made several batches of maple sugar candies, which look and taste great. The following sequence of photographs show my heating a test batch of syrup and the resulting maple candies:
Syrup in the pot with a candy thermometer:
Syrup beginning to simmer:
Syrup fully simmering:
Syrup done and ready to pour:
The maple leaf candy mould:
The finished product:
Angi.