Recipes: Maple Syrup
Maple Apple Pies (pictured above)
Prep time: 50 mins (including chilling pastry)Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: makes 12
You will need:
•12 cup muffin tin
•Two round cutters: one 3 ½ inch and one 2 ½ inch.
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
• 4 small Bramley apples or 6 Granny Smiths
• 200ml Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
For the pastry:
•250g cold unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
• 500g plain flour
• 1 tbsp Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• 2-3 tbsp cold water
Method
Peel and chop the apples into cubes (about 1cm) and place in a saucepan with the maple syrup. Cook on a low heat for 3-5 mins until the apple is just soft but not a purée. Pour into a bowl, cover and chill.
To make the pastry, place butter and flour in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it looks like fine breadcrumbs (or pulse in a processor). Mix the syrup with cold water and add a drop at a time to the pastry until it comes together to form a ball of dough (don't knead it or touch it too much). Flatten the pastry into a disc, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins. When the pastry is chilled, preheat your oven to 190C.
Roll out the pastry between two sheets of cling film/baking parchment (this stops it sticking and means you don't add extra unnecessary flour). Use the larger cutter to cut 12 bases and gently push one into each hole of the tin. Fill each with 1 heaped spoonful of apple, brush round the top with a little beaten (free range) egg. Roll and cut the 12 smaller lids and gently place on top of each, pushing the edges together to seal it. Using a sharp knife pierce a small hole in each to let out steam and bake for 20 mins or until the pastry is golden and baked. Grease proof the tins to prevent the pastry sticking.
Serve hot with custard, ice cream or crème fraiche.
Maple and Peanutbutter Cupcakes
Prep time:20 mins Cooking time:15 mins
Serves: makes 12
You will need:
• 12 hole cupcake tin
•12 cupcake cases
• Piping bag
• Star nozzle
Ingredients
For the icing:
• 125g peanut butter
• 125ml Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• 100g soft unsalted butter
• 250g full fat cream cheese
For the cakes:
• 75g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
• 2 eggs
• 100g soft unsalted butter
• 180ml Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• 175g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 50g chopped nuts (plus extra to decorate)
Method
Preheat the oven to 160C. Put the cases into the tin.
Beat the butters and syrup until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder and nuts and beat together until light and combined. Spoon the cake mix into the cases (I use a spring loaded ice cream scoop).
Bake in the oven for 20 mins until risen, golden and springy to the touch. To make the icing, vigorously beat the peanut butter with the maple syrup until very light and smooth then beat in the cream cheese. Place cakes onto a wire rack to cool. Pipe the icing onto each cake when cool and sprinkle with nuts.
Maple, Vanilla and Pear Cream Sponge Cake
Prep time:30 mins
Cooking time, 25 mins
Serves: makes 1 x 7 inch sandwich cake, 11 servings 
You will need
•2 x 7 inch round sandwich tins.
For the filling:
• 2 fairly ripe pears (use your favourite variety)
• 2-3 tbsp Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• 100ml double cream
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
For the cake:
• 220g margarine
• 250ml Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste/extract
• 4 medium free range eggs
• 220g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
Directions
Peel and chop the pears and place in a pan with the syrup and gently cook until you have a delicious pear compote, then pour into a bowl and chill
Gently beat the cream with the vanilla until soft peaks and cover, chill and set aside. Preheat the oven to 160C.
Place all the cake ingredients into a bowl and beat until light fluffy and creamy. Pour the cake mix into the two lined tins and bake for 20-25 mins until springy to the touch. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.
Once cool, place one half of the cake onto a serving board or plate, blob on the cream and spread. Spoon the pear compote over the cream and gently top with the other half of the cake.
Maple Golden Sultana Buns
Serves: makes 12
Ingredients
• 250ml whole milk
• 50g butter
• 50ml Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup
• 7g salt
• 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g easy action yeast
• 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
• 150g golden sultanas
• 50ml Clarks Original Maple Carob syrup to brush onto buns whilst they're warm
Method
Put the milk, butter, syrup and salt into a pan and gently heat until the butter melts. Mix the flour golden sultanas and yeast in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
Add the egg to the milk mixture and pour into the well in the flour. Stir the mixture until it begins to come together and then get your hands in to make a ball of dough. Knead the dough for a good 10 mins until stretchy and elastic, then place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm to prove for around an hour or until doubled in size.
Push the air out of the dough, divide into 12 equally sized pieces and shape into balls. Spread apart on a large lined baking tray cover lightly with some greased cling film and leave to prove again for another 30 mins. Preheat the oven to 190C and bake the buns for 15-20 mins until golden Place on a cooling rack and brush with more syrup whilst warm.
Recipes developed by Cathryn Dresser, Great British Bake Off 2012 quarter finalist, as part of the ‘Make the move to maple carob syrup’ campaign by Clarks Maple Syrup.