“Crapeaux”: The Legendary French-Canadian “Toad” Dumplings
Every spring, the air around rural New England fills with the aroma of sweet Maple Dumpling deliciousness. Similarly, when brandy is aged in its oak barrels, it gives off an aroma that the French monks called la part des anges – the angels’ share. So, just like with aging brandy, when the sap is boiled into maple syrup, a portion is given to the angels, la part des anges.
Today, I am sharing an old family recipe for what was called in rural parts of Quebec, Crapeaux, which translates to ‘toads’. Don’t ask me why; maybe it is the lumpiness that reminded those old Quebec farmers of a warty toad. But there is nothing else in connection with a toad! They are dumplings boiled in maple syrup. If you love maple syrup, this is total nirvana. We used to have this for dessert every Easter when I was growing up.
Crapeaux or Maple Dumplings Ingredients
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 10 mins | Servings: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/4 cup Milk
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 to 3/4 cup All-purpose Flour (adjust for a stiff, biscuit-like consistency)
- Dash of Salt
- 2-4 cups Real Maple Syrup (for boiling)
Instructions
- Prep the Syrup: Bring the maple syrup to a gentle boil in a medium pot. Careful: If it boils too hard, it will foam over!
- Mix the Batter: Beat the egg, milk, and salt until thick. Stir in the baking powder and initial 1/4 cup of flour. Gradually add more flour until you have a stiff batter.
- Drop & Simmer: Drop a generous tablespoon of maple dumpling batter. Do not overcrowd; they need room to grow!
- Flip: Cook for 3–5 minutes per side until puffed and golden.
- Serve: Serve warm with the reduced syrup drizzled over the top or over vanilla ice cream.
The remaining boiled syrup can be drizzled on the cooked maple dumplings (an extra layer of yum!) and can also be used for sugar-on-snow, which is the syrup drizzled on snow (if you have any left), and it hardens into a caramel-like consistency that we used to eat off the snow with a fork. It is great on vanilla ice cream too, but has to be used right away because it will harden too much when cooled, but it will create a candy or ‘sugar’ which can also be used.
Make sure you soak your pot right away in hot water, or it will be difficult to clean!
Sugar on Snow after the Maple Dumplings
This was something new for me as I came from a small family, just me and my sister growing up. Lisa had five siblings, and at Easter, when they got together, this meant that nieces, nephews, and grandkids also gathered.
Lisa’s parents’ house was full to the brim with people, and after dinner, Lisa’s mom would slip into the kitchen to start making the Crapeaux. Her daughters would come in and help with the mixing, and Lisa’s mom would direct the operation.
This whole operation was a family affair, and Lisa’s Mom and sisters would all prep and cook the dumplings, and once we were all stuffed on those, Lisa’s dad would move in to the part he liked best, which was the “Sugar on Snow”.
Now this is a rarity because Snow on Easter (fresh snow (clean and white and not brown or yellow) is a rarity. This was 2007, and Easter was on 8 April, and there was clean snow to make this.
The resulting thick goo in the pot
As the Maple syrup is slowly boiled to cook the dumplings, the syrup thickens to the consistency of caramel, and Lisa’s dad would take a large spoon and drizzle the mixture over the snow, creating pools and ribbons of thick deliciousness.
(*NOTE*) You could use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature of the syrup (reaching “soft ball” stage, or approx. 235°F/112°C)
You can see this family affair was a hit with all ages.
Enjoy!
Lisa Folger
Jeff Foliage Folger
Autumn is a state of mind more than a time of year – Jeff Foliage
I grew up in VT on a dairy farm …my Dad made maple syrup…Had it on snow and Mom made the dumplings in the maple syrup but she baked them, soooooooo….good.
Lois
Maple syrup is good no matter how you serve it up! We never had the baked maple dumplings growing up, but I have seen some recipes for them which I hope to try soon.
Thanks for sharing,
Lisa