The holidays are officially upon us and we at Ben‘s Sugar Shack couldn‘t be more excited! Along with getting to spend extra time with friends and family, there is nothing quite like enjoying all the delicious foods and beverages we get to share over holiday meals. While the traditional Thanksgiving Day foods, snacks, desserts, and drinks are essential, there are ways to liven up the usual flavors. Are you looking for ways to sweeten up your Thanksgiving feast? Today, we‘ll share some of our favorite uses for maple syrup, which can completely transform your average Turkey Day spread. Need to stock your pantry with pure New Hampshire maple syrup for the holidays? Visit Ben‘s Sugar Shack for the most delicious maple syrup born and tapped in New England.
Four Ways To Use Maple Syrup to Sweeten Up Thanksgiving
Delightful Maple Syrup Appetizers
Thanksgiving Day appetizers and munchies are a must and you can use maple syrup to create a number of simple yet delicious appetizers. Here are some of our favorite picks for making maple syrup appetizers everyone will enjoy!
- Popcorn drizzled with dark chocolate and maple syrup
- Popcorn with chopped bacon and drizzled in maple syrup
- Maple syrup and cinnamon snack mix with pretzels, Chex Mix™, peanuts
- Sliced apples with a yogurt dip that combines maples syrup and cinnamon
- Homemade baked jalapeno poppers stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon, and glazed with maple syrup
Maple Syrup Infused Side Dishes
A Thanksgiving dinner isn‘t complete without all the best sides. Maple syrup pairs perfectly with a variety of vegetables and fruits. For instance, maple syrup is a lovely glaze for cooked (baked, steamed, or pan fried) carrots because the syrup enhances the sweetness of carrots. Maple syrup also brings out the flavor in classic fall vegetables. For a truly decadent vegetable side dish, sautée or roast chopped squash, zucchini, and sliced onion in butter or olive oil in a pan. Drizzle maple syrup over the veggie mixture, garnish with chopped or sliced almonds, and serve hot.
Maple Syrup Butter for Dinner Rolls
Thanksgiving meals typically feature doughy dinner rolls, French bread, and a variety of sweet breads like cranberry bread, banana bread, and zucchini bread. While bread is amazing on its own, make it even better by creating a maple butter that can be spread on any bread for a slight sweetness to offset all the savory flavors.
Delightfully Sweet Cocktails
Maple syrup is the perfect sweet infusion for a variety of spirits, including whiskey and vodka. Adding in a half to a full teaspoon of maple syrup to whiskey, either neat or straight up, will heighten the flavor and rick color of the spirit. Maple syrup goes especially well with bourbon, but also compliments sweeter Irish whiskey. If you‘re a fan of a smooth Old Fashioned, maple syrup is the perfect addition to this classic holiday cocktail. If you prefer vodka, try infusing an inexpensive vodka with maple syrup and cinnamon sticks at least a week ahead of Turkey Day.