Home chef and writer declares love for maple syrup butter

A distinguished domestic chef and food blogger could hardly contain her excitement at the return of a much-loved seasonal product to her local store.

Maple syrup and brown sugar butter has reappeared on the shelves of Trader Joe’s, a national chain of neighbourhood grocery stores in America that is known for its quirky, private-label foods.

Now Vanessa Daniel – a regular contributor to the Simple Recipes platform and a specialist in creating restaurant-standard budget meals at home – has stated her intention to stock up on the product, to avoid being ‘caught short’.

She wrote:

“This butter helped me realise how much I love maple syrup as a flavour. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise that the butter would disappear for the season by the time I ran out and needed another. This year, I will not be making the same mistake.”

Maple syrup and brown sugar butter is noted for its contrasting taste, offering a balance of caramel-like sweetness with the saltiness of the butter.

Traditional maple syrup butter is easily made at home, and is similar to peanut butter in texture. It simply requires heating natural maple syrup in a high-sided pot to a temperature of around 112°C, before cooling it to approximately 52°C. It is then whipped vigorously with a beater until it turns pale, thick and smooth.

The possibilities for using maple syrup butter are numerous. It can be spread on toast of crumpets, used as a frosting option on cakes, and even dropped into coffee as a natural sweetener.