Fill a large bowl with ice and about 1 cup of water. Nestle a clean saucepan inside the ice bath to start it cooling. Set aside.

Add the maple syrup and the olive oil to a large saucepan. It will bubble and rise fairly significantly as it boils, so make sure to choose a pan that is at least double the volume of the liquid to prevent boiling over.

Bring the mixture to a boil and boil, without stirring, until it reaches 235 degrees Fahrenheit. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. It’s important not to over heat the maple syrup, or you’ll end up with a hard maple candy and not a maple cream.

Carefully pour the hot maple syrup into the saucepan in the ice bath. Let it cool until it reaches approximately 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the saucepan from the water bath. Start stirring the cooled maple syrup with a wooden spoon. The layer at the bottom of the pan will be slightly harder (because it was closest to the ice), but as you stir it will become softer and the whole mixture will take on a more even texture.

Stir the maple syrup for 10-15 minutes. You don’t have to stir it quickly, but do keep up a consistent and steady pace. As you stir, the maple syrup will lighten in color and start to loose it’s shine. The Maple Cream is done when it’s the thickness of natural peanut butter and the color of tahini paste (the color can vary slightly depending on the color of the maple syrup that you started with; i.e. a dark amber will produce a darker final product).

Once it reaches this point, you want to quickly transfer it to containers for storage. Over stirring can result in the final cream being too stiff.

Maple Cream can be stored in your refrigerator for up to 6 months. It’s normal for the Maple Cream to be a bit firm straight from the refrigerator. You can stir it (like you would with natural peanut butter) to loosen it up or pop it in the microwave for a few seconds. And it will also just naturally loosen up over time, so if it seems too stiff the first week or two, don’t panic!