Maple syrup isn’t just for drizzling on pancakes and waffles at breakfast time. From maple muffins to maple sesame kale chips, here are ten sweet and savory ways to use maple syrup in your cooking any time of day.
These wonderful muffins from Sarabeth’s Bakery: From My Hands to Yours are sweetened entirely with maple syrup — there’s absolutely no sugar in them. As they bake in the oven, they fill your kitchen with the most intoxicating buttery maple scent. GET THE RECIPE
When you combine roasted Brussels sprouts, smoky bacon, toasted pecans and maple syrup, it’s hard to resist eating the entire pan right out of the oven. GET THE RECIPE
Surprisingly, caramel corn is easy to make at home — and you don’t even need a copper kettle or candy thermometer. There’s only one problem: it’s crazy-addictive. Seriously, don’t make this stuff unless you have the willpower of a saint or many friends to share it with! GET THE RECIPE
Easy enough for a weeknight but elegant enough for company, these salmon fillets are dusted with a Southwestern spice rub, glazed with maple syrup, and then topped with a refreshing pineapple salsa. GET THE RECIPE
With shredded kale, crisp pancetta, tart apples, and crunchy pecans in a zingy maple vinaigrette, this fall/winter salad ticks all the right taste buttons. GET THE RECIPE
In this easy recipe, sweet potatoes are mashed with butter, maple syrup and thyme to bring out their sweet, earthy flavor. It’s the perfect side to Onion Braised Beef Brisket or Sunday Night Roast Chicken, or even a store-bought rotisserie chicken. GET THE RECIPE
For a healthier blueberry muffin option, try these bran muffins sweetened with maple syrup. They’re lower in fat and sugar than most muffins, and also enriched with wheat bran and whole wheat flour. GET THE RECIPE
AKA “kale crack” because they’re so addictive, these crispy “chips” are made from one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet. They’re salty, sweet, and spicy with added crunch from sesame seeds. GET THE RECIPE
These comforting breakfast treats are like a cross between scones and oatmeal cookies: buttery and tender on the inside, crisp and craggy on the outside, and chockfull of oats, pecans and currants. The recipe is the first I tried from Joanne Chang’s wonderful cookbook, Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Bakery & Cafe, and it was love at first bite. GET THE RECIPE
Steel cut oats have a hearty and chewy texture. They’re less processed than rolled oats so they take a bit longer to cook — perfect for lazy weekend mornings. In this recipe, I simmer them in a lot of liquid so they get super creamy, almost like a breakfast risotto. GET THE RECIPE
If you’re a beet lover like I am, you’re going to love (and maybe even obsess over) these simply prepared beets. They’re oven-roasted, which intensifies their natural sweetness, and then tossed in a tart balsamic reduction sweetened with maple syrup. You can serve them as a side dish, but more often than not I just keep them in the fridge for snacking and tossing over salads. GET THE RECIPE