Each year around this time, pumpkin spice takes center stage all over the place – in restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, gift shops and so much more. While I love the scent of pumpkin spice candles, that is as far as I’ll go with pumpkin spice. Although I love plain pumpkin flavor, I really wish I liked the taste of pumpkin spice more, but the “spice” seems to ruin it for me (and my stomach).
For me, maple is the ultimate Fall flavor. Not only does it remind me of the beautiful and famous maple-producing areas of New England and nearly everywhere in Canada, but it also just simply tastes amazing. From syrup, to cookies, to candy, to fudge, give me anything maple and I will eat it! And what’s also great about maple is that it tends to have more of a mellow flavor (where as pumpkin can sometimes be overwhelming) which helps to enhance the flavors of the foods it is added to.
Although you can usually find maple-flavored products throughout the year, like pumpkin spice, you definitely see a larger variety of maple products in the Fall. This year, I am on a hunt for the best maple products around and have been fortunate to find a few very tasty maple-flavored treats that are already high on my list.
5 Maple Treats to Love This Fall
1. Sanders Maple Caramels – If you are lucky enough to know Sanders candy, you’ll know that their chocolate caramel products are outstanding. So when I saw that Sanders launched a small batch of maple-flavored caramels, I couldn’t resist. The little square caramels are covered in dark chocolate and have a gooey, maple-infused sea salt caramel filling. And yes, they taste just as delicious as they look.
2. Favorite Day Maple Whipped Cream – Who doesn’t love a generous dollop of whipped cream on hot chocolate, ice cream or pie? And for the Fall, this Target brand has leveled up its whipped cream game by adding maple flavoring to it. As for the taste, it has the perfect amount of maple flavor (and a little vanilla), not too light and not too strong. For all of the espresso lovers out there, the maple whipped cream is a great addition to your morning cappuccino, latte or even your double espresso shot – espresso con panna anyone?
3. Trader Joe’s Salted Maple Ice Cream – I love trying new flavors of ice cream, so I’m always looking for interesting pints to snag. I was so excited when Trader Joe’s released its new fall product line and it just so happens to have a Salted Maple Ice Cream in it. I could say that I waited a whole week to head to TJ’s to buy it, but that would be a lie. I picked up a pint of the new Fall ice cream the very next day. The ice cream has a vanilla base which is maple flavored, but also has sticky sweet swirls of maple throughout. I can definitely see this being a hit at Thanksgiving with apple pie a la mode, but it would also be an awesome addition to an affogato.
4. Werther’s Maple Cream Candies – Every once in a while, I just need a bit of something sweet, whether it’s with my late morning latte or right after dinner. In my search for maple products, I was happy to find that Werther’s – known for their yummy hard and chewy caramels – now has a maple cream-filled chewy caramel. The candy is no bigger than a tootsie roll so it’s the perfect size for those moments when you just need a little taste of maple goodness.
5. Pathos Maple Cream Flavored Rolls – I’ve always been a fan of wafer roll cookies in just about any flavor – from lemon, to dark chocolate, to vanilla. This is the first year I’ve ever seen the wafers infused with fall flavors – including pumpkin spice and of course, my new favorite, maple – all from the Pathos brand. If you’ve never heard of Pathos (don’t worry, I hadn’t either until this year), you can find it at World Market and let me tell you, this was a great find! The outer cookie has just the right amount of crunch and it’s filled with sweat maple cream.
I’m still searching for more tasty maple products to add to my Fall favorites list. Have your own favorite maple-flavored product? Leave me the product name in the comments below.
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On to my next adventure!
Ciao,
Jennifer
