If you’ve ever bitten into an aromatic, delicious cookie only to feel completely encompassed in that warm flavor of maple syrup, that cookie was probably made with maple extract!
So, if you don’t have any maple extract at home, or perhaps just don’t know where to buy any, you may be wondering how to get that wonderful maple flavor in your sweet treats.
Well folks, that’s why we are here! We’ve searched every ingredient, walked through each and every aisle, and found the best maple extract substitutes out there so you don’t have to skimp on flavor!
So, without further ado, here are the most awesome maple extract substitutes for your baking and cooking needs!
Best maple extract substitutes
Great maple extract substitutes are maple syrup, maple candy, maple butter, maple coffee creamer, and molasses. If none of those are available, you can try going for almond, vanilla, or rum extract.
If you’re not form North America then maple extract is definitely something you’ll never get your hands on, but maple syrup can be found even in remote corners of the world. At a premium price, but hey it’s there !
Though nothing can truly mimic the strong, dynamic punch provided by maple extract, there are a few things you can use instead to get a similar, mapley sweet taste. So let’s get to those substitutes !
Maple syrup
Though it will not provide as strong of a maple flavor, the closest thing you will find to maple extract flavor is, of course, maple syrup! We suggest buying 100% natural maple syrup, none of that thick, gunky artificial stuff. First off, it doesn’t really taste mapley, and secondly, it is simply not good for you.
But natural maple syrup will give you that same great maple flavor, with just a few caveats. As we mentioned, it will not be as potent as maple extract, so be prepared to either get only a slight maple flavor or use a lot of maple syrup to get a stronger taste.
Another thing to think about when replacing maple extract with maple syrup is that it will add more liquid to your mixture. When you are baking, you have to be extremely accurate and careful with your dry to wet ingredient ratio, so if you want a stronger maple flavor, you will need to add a lot more maple syrup than you would maple extract.
This extra liquid will throw off your ingredient ratio, making your cookies, cake, or other sweet treat very liquid. For that reason, you’re going to want to add some more dry ingredients to the mix, meaning probably more flour. You’ll want to get the same texture you usually get with extract, so just try to reach that by experimenting a little!
Read Also:Why Is Maple Syrup So Expensive ?
Maple candy
This one might seem a bit silly but hey, if you have it, use it! If you’ve recently visited Upstate New York, Vermont, or even Canada recently, you may home come home with some maple flavored candy! You can absolutely melt that down and use it instead of maple extract!
Again, the flavor may not be as potent as maple extract, but it will be a bit more concentrated than maple syrup. So, just mix it up with your other ingredients for a tasty maple treat!
Maple butter
Especially around the Fall and Winter holiday seasons, you’re sure to find maple-flavored everything at the store, even maple butter! So, why not pick up a tub and use it in your maple cookies!
If you don’t have maple extract, just replace your regular butter ingredient with maple butter! The flavor may not be as potent, but you’ll certainly get some noticeable notes of maple!
Maple coffee creamer
Yes, we know it sounds crazy, but again, you’ll definitely be able to find maple flavored creamers at the store around this time, so why not try it? Not only will you be able to add it to your coffee in the morning, but you can use it in place of maple extract and milk in your baked goods!
Just make sure you add the same amount of maple creamer as you would milk and your sweet treats will take on a fantastic mapley flavor!
Molasses
Though molasses has a potently strong scent and a very bitter flavor on its own, in baked goods, it actually tastes quite similar to maple extract! Plus, it’s much thicker than natural maple syrup, so you don’t have to worry about it messing up your ratio of dry to wet ingredients!
Just be prepared: unless you’re making molasses sweets every other day, you’ll be holding onto your molasses for a loooong time. You really only need to use a little to get that mapley flavor since it’s so strong.
Almond extract
Although it’s not maple, almond is a nice substitute. Go easy on this extract because it can get really overpowering. Unless you love marzipan, them go nuts and you’ll definitely love it.
Seeing as this is just an extract, you can use it just like any other extract. Including the following two.
Vanilla extract
Vanilla is hard to make too strong, so add as much as your heart desires ! Vanilla extract isn’t maple either, but it adds that nice, warm flavor that maple can bring.
We recommend adding something like walnuts or pecans to your recipe to bring back some of that nutty, maple flavor.
Rum Extract
Although the flavors won’t be exactly the same, you can actually use rum extract in place of maple! Since rum and maple are both derived from plant sugars, it makes sense that their flavor profiles would be slightly similar.
With this option, you won’t have to worry about changing up the other ingredients in your treats, since you can add just as much rum extract as you would maple! And hey, if you have it, you can even drop in a bit of vanilla extract to round out the tastes!
The very soul of maple is sweet, nutty, and woody in just the right way. If you want maple extract because it’s orange-leaves-and-spooky-time season out there, why not add other, traditional flavorings ? Cinnamon, cloves, roast pumpkin, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, the works !
Or better yet, try a combination of the above substitutes. For example a nice cinnamon, vanilla, and maple coffee creamer combo ?
Read Also:Should Maple Syrup Be Refrigerated ?
What is maple extract?
Maple extract, like all extract ingredients, is a super concentrated, amazingly flavorful liquid that just explodes with maple flavor. It is perfect for use in cookies, cakes, pancakes, and even icings, frostings, and syrups for each of these sweet treats!
Please, resist the temptation!
And if you are a maple lover, you may be tempted to try yourself a sip of this aromatic extract, but we do not suggest doing this. Just like other extracts, maple extract only smells great when uncooked.
If you let that concentrated liquid hit your tongue without being mixed with other ingredients, you will surely regret it. The only flavor you will experience is bitter, burning gross-ness!
That being said, within baked goods and sweet syrups, maple extract really brings you into the fall spirit, filling your house and belly with maple goodness!
