For lovers of all things maple, here’s a new one, and it’s a winner. This is cotton candy for grown-ups. It has the melt-in-your-mouth texture of the typical pink fare, but it’s not at all cloying. USDA organic, made with 100 percent maple sugar spun with organic cane sugar, it’s light as air and feels like a rather virtuous choice when you want just a pinch of something sweet. Parker’s Real Maple founder Joshua Parker got his start producing his first bottle of syrup at the age of 11, and by age 15 had turned his passion into a business. Two years ago, he went on “Shark Tank,” got great feedback, and sales tripled almost overnight. Parker’s Real Maple also makes a killer Maple Butter, which is organic, vegan, gluten free, fat free, kosher, and only 114 calories per serving. It’s billed as a healthy, versatile, and sustainable sweetener, plus it tastes fabulous on toast, fruit, as a glaze, or marinade. Prices start at $3.99 for the cotton candy, and $19.99 for a 16-ounce jar of maple butter. Available at select Wegman’s and Price Choppers. Online at www.parkersmaple.com and www.amazon.com.
KAREN CAMPBELL
If you like cotton candy and maple syrup, you and your sweet tooth are in luck