What are you making?

It's a topping for sour cream, yogurt, ice cream. Any ideas?

Wouldn't you just use less?

I make a recipe using palm sugar (which is low-glycemic) that makes a nice caramel sauce.

(2 servings)
1/4 c. coconut palm sugar (aka palm sugar)
1 T. half and half
1/2 T. Lyle's Golden Syrup
Cook and stir over low heat 2-4 minutes until smooth and caramel color. You can also add chopped pecans.

-Grainlady

Real pure maple syrup is extracted from the tree. It is a slow process and just in the spring when the weather warms...thought still a bit chilly. I tap my trees so i know the process...
It comes out, up from the roots, like water, then reduced with heat to a syrup by a human, (me) at great effort by wood fire. outside. cold.
Thin it with water for a less sweet product. If you want to thin the sweetness and maintain a thick consistency, look at agar or a gelatin.
Or maybe use a non-fat thick greek yogurt, tbsp maple syrup, a fresh fruit, no sugar, reduced. Like blueberries, strawberries , if you are looking for an ice cream topping that is sweet already. Ice cream is often so sweet. Toasted nuts and a bit of salt cuts that sweetness a bit.

Wow Sleevendog...you make your own! I read it takes 40 gallons reduced to make 1 gallon. I live south so settle for making Shagbark Hickory syrup. It's a totally different process and taste!

Lauriefree, I would dilute with slightly thickened unflavored gelatin to retain the thickness.
K

Honestly.....if you don't want the intensity of the natural sweetness of maple syrup in your desert...pick another desert.

Pure Maple syrup is what it is and, if one chooses to use it, it should be celebrated . If it's too sweet for your liking pick another desert. .

I'm not sure if this was exactly what Grainlady meant, but since you're talking about a topping and not the whole dessert itself, why not just top the dessert with less of your concoction?

I've also tapped the trees and boiled the sap, and can't imagine trying to dilute that wonderful golden deliciousness, yum, I love the stuff.

I also think I'd just use less, if I were concerned about the final product being too sweet.

Annie

I wouldn't think it would take a lot of water to make the syrup a bit less sweet, and I don't see the harm since its current state has had lots of water removed (use distilled so you're not adding other flavorants). The problem is that while you're diluting the sweet, you're also diluting the maple flavor.

Why not try a different grade of syrup? Grade B (which is a differentiation label not a quality scale level) is dark and very maple-y. You could use less of it and get the same flavor as if you were using more of the "Fancy" grade.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. We don't have Golden Syrup here but I think you get the gist of what I'm looking for. I'm trying to come close to reproducing an asian dessert (curd and honey). Maple syrup is pretty close to the topping, and sour cream is pretty close to the bottoming. "Honey" is a misnomer - what is used it Treacle. Actually, I did read that Golden Syrup would be a good substitute. In a way it would be a crime to alter pure maple syrup. I'll try thinning it down slightly with water and using less.

Golden Syrup is treacle!

You're right! Even though we don't have golden syrup in my region of the US (as far as I know), I don't see why I can't just order the real stuff online.

Thanks everyone!

Perhaps adding some molasses to the maple syrup with give you close to a treacle flavor and consistency. Or even some corn syrup, which is not the high fructose stuff everyone worries about. Besides, in this application you are not using that much.

You can make golden syrup at home. Just google it. :) Don't google "treacle" or you'll get a ton of Harry Potter tart recipes. :)