Maple Candy/ Sugar Cakes Prices

[220 maple]

I have been making alot of sugar candy for a tourist trap that sells my syrup products. I package the candy three different way. One large Maple leaf, two medium leafs or four small leaves per package. I let the store owner have them for 1 dollar per package, they mark them up and sell them at 1.35. The owner suggested that they should raise the price to 1.45 per package because they are selling extremely well. They offered to pay me a extra nickel and they would make a extra nickel. I talked them into staying at the same price for now. Just curious what others are getting for Maple Candy?

[Rich Berg]

Do you "crystal" coat them or regular?

[Snow Hill Farm]

Around here the standard price is $1 per ounce. I sell lots of the maple leafs at a Farmers Market, 1 oz for $1 and 3 oz for $3....

[brookledge]

I usually sell for a 1.00/ oz also. But would charge more for crystal coating
Keith

[220 maple]

Rich,
I do not crystal coat the sugar candy.

Mark 220 Maple

[Amber Gold]

I charge about $1/oz as well, but I don't sugar coat it. I think I may start though. I can make a bunch of candy in January and have it last all year.

I'm using a candy machine for the first time tonight. For the one's that aren't coating it, what temperature are you bringing the syrup to and do you cool it down at all before you make the candy?

The way I've been making it with a stand mixer and a candy drop funnel. I use the fondant method and heating it to 238. I'm looking forward to the ease of using a candy machine.

[maplwrks]

Josh---I make a ton of candy at the Big E, and we start at 238 and go up from there depending on humidity. The more humid, the higher the temp. I wouldn't go more than a degree at a time though. As far as cooling, The cooler you can go the better. The way that 802maple taught me works for the cooler temps, 180 degrees is great. At that temp, the crystals will be nice and small. If you cool to this temp, and just trickle the syrup into the trough, you will be in trouble. I fill the trough full and stir to the right consistency, and pour---real fast!!

[Amber Gold]

Thanks Mike.

Made my first batch last night using the candy machine. Wow is that a lot easier than the batch method. Entire thing done in a couple of hours and used a gal of syrup. Previously that would've been 2 nights worth of work and a lot more time.

It was pretty humid yesterday so we boiled to 244. I am going to dip it, probably tomorrow. I'm going to take my remaining gallon and use it as dipping syrup, then turn it into cream afterwards. The batch didn't come out as creamy as my previous method, but I'm hoping that may change once they're dipped. We only let it sit though for a few minutes before we started making candy. If I let it reach 180, will that help?

How do you make cream using a candy machine?

[Tmeeeh]

We make several hundred pounds of cream every year with a candy machine. Using medium or light syrup (you can use dark syrup but you might have to boil a few degrees higher it often doesn't crystallize as well) boil to about 23 degrees above boiling water. Let the boiled syrup cool in the pan in a water bath. Don't stir. Spray the surface with fine water mist every 10 minutes to reduce crystal growth on the surface. When the syrup has cooled to between 75 to 90 degrees start running it through the candy machine. At first it takes a while for the syrup in the trough to thicken and lighten in color. Process the syrup through the trough and directly into the retail containers. We usually do two pigs (pans) at a time about 50 lbs. Overall time is about 6 hours including cooking and cooling. We keep the cream retail containers in the freezer until they are sold and recommend that the stores keep the cream in the refrigerated display case. The cold delays syrup rising to the top of the cream.

[Amber Gold]

Thanks Tim. How do you fit so much syrup into the pig? Once you tilt it up, I think it'll only fit 1.5-2 gallons.

Coating the candy today then will be turning the coating syrup to cream tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

[oldemaple]

I package 3 of the small leafs in a plastic bag that comes to one ounce. I have no problem getting $1.50 per bag at farmers' markets.

[Amber Gold]

Tried making cream Saturday night with the candy machine. I tried two methods, let it get to cream in the trough, then continuous stream filling the container and then the other method was to make a batch of cream in the trough and draw the entire thing off then fill containers. The first method worked OK and the second method worked great once. After that I couldn't make any cream at all.

My problem was the syrup woud form plenty of sugar crystals, but it wouldn't set up. It would remain runny cream and wouldn't get firm. I started off with about 2 gal of syrup and have only been able to make about 6 lbs of cream. The rest of it is in a bowl as runny cream. Because the candy machine didn't work, I went back to using the mixer and that couldn't get it to setup either. The syrup's been used before in making cream/candy and this is the first time I've had problems.

Any ideas???

[220 maple]

What is crystal coating sugar candy? Sounds interesting if it extends the shelf life? I would consider expanding to more stores (ie. Tourist Traps) if I wouldn't need to deliver as often. I have a friend who delivers speciality items to tourist traps and country stores. He has alot of contacts.

Mark 220 Maple

[Amber Gold]

Heat your candy batch to 244F. Put it in the candy machine and pour it into your molds. After that's done, take another gallon or so of the same syrup and heat that to 224F. Pour it into the container that you'll use for dipping. In my case I did everything in the pig. A gallon of dipping syrup was enough to coat 7-8 lbs of candy in the pig. Let the dipping syrup sit overnight covered with wax/parchment paper...the paper must be on the surface of the syrup....this needs to sit at least 12 hrs before dipping can begin. The next morning take the candy out of the molds and let them air dry for a bit. After that, put all of the candy in the pig making sure it's all covered. The candy can be in contact with each other. Let them sit in the syrup for 3-5 hrs...time varies depending on humidity I guess, bu the candy should feel rough like sandpaper. Pull them all out set them on racks to dry.

Since I've done this, I've had less issues with them breaking during removal from the molds and in handling afterwards. I've also had no issues with them turning soft and syrupy aftewards.

I'm not sure if I'll charge more for the dipped candy. There's an extra steps involved, but I have less material loss.

[Amber Gold]

I think I figured out why my cream didn't come out right. I was using one of the old mercury thermometers that have the demarcations on it for syrup, cream, candy, and etc for the first time. I calibrated it for water then made cream with it. I was using the cream line as my reference point which is about 232. When I was using my digital thermometer I'd take it to 234. I think I just didn't take it high enough. It is odd though that two draws off this batch came out fine.

Now that I have 7-10 lbs of crystalized, liquid cream what can I do with it? Can I heat it up to 234 and still make cream out of it? What about to 244 and making candy? Or am I relegated to making sugar with it?

Thanks

[maplwrks]

I doubt you will make very good cream out of it----it will make good candy though.....

[lmathews]

Add water to it and bring it back to syrup.Then reheat to cream temp and it should turn out just *** smooth as fresh syrup.Experience it before myself.

[Amber Gold]

Whether I make cream or candy with it, the fact that it's already crystallized isn't going to hurt anything? Do the crystals dissolve and everything turns back into syrup?

How much water should I add? If syrup weighs 11 lbs and yields 7-8 lbs of cream/candy, should I add 3 lbs of water?

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

AG,
Yes, the crystals will dissolve. It may darken some as you heat it again. If it was mine, I would just heat it further and make sugar candy and start a new batch for cream.

[Amber Gold]

Thanks for the advice. I'm out of light syrup and almost out of cream. I'll take a quart and heat it up a bit more and see if I can get it to turn into cream. If it doesn't work then I haven't lost anything and I'll just turn everything into candy. I'll post how it turns out.

[Amber Gold]

I reheated a quart of the failed cream and brought it to 235F. Cooled it down to 85F and and put it in the auger. A little while later and I had cream. It worked great this time. A little bit darker than it should be, but the sugar crystals are very fine, not coarse at all. I don't know if I let it mix too long or brought the temp. too high, but it was very thick trying to get it into the cream jars...kind of like play-doh. I'm wondering if I should bring the temp down to 234 if that would help. The hardest part about it was trying to boil it. As soon as it got close to boiling it would boil over.

Thanks for the help with this and I'll be turning the rest of it into cream in the next day or so.