Maple sugar candy is made by heating maple syrup and pouring it into candy molds. Maple syrup is made from maple tree sap with the excess water boiled from it. Some maple sugar candy has corn syrup or cane sugar added, but that type is blended maple sugar candy as genuine maple sugar candy is made from just maple syrup.

When maple syrup is heated to make maple sugar candy, the color of the syrup lightens and the syrup starts to become a bit firmer in consistency. The lighter color and thicker consistency means that the syrup is starting to crystallize. At that point, the syrup is placed into molds. Rubber candy molds are often used in making maple sugar candy. Maple sugar candy is sold in many shapes such as people, animals and Christmas designs, but the maple leaf shape is probably the most popular and common shape of maple sugar candy available.

Maple cream is also made with only maple syrup, but it is very different from maple sugar candy. Maple cream is whipped and sold as a spread in jars and it is heated at a lower temperature than is used to make maple sugar candy. Some people use maple cream as a cake frosting, but it is commonly served on toast. Maple cream is also sometimes available as a filling in some packaged cookies. Maple cream differs from maple butter in that maple butter has butter added to it.

Maple salt water taffy and maple fondant are other types of maple candy besides maple sugar candy. Maple salt water taffy has maple syrup added and maple fondant is similar to fudge. Some sugar maple trees have sweeter sap than others and this can affect the sweetness of maple sugar candy and other maple candies.

Collecting the maple sap from sugar maples is called sugaring. The sap is tapped from the maple trees using drilled holes in the trees. Plastic tubing, sometimes called pipeline, carries the sap from the tree to a holding tank or bucket. Acer saccharum is a type of sugar maple commonly found in northeastern regions of the United States. One sugar maple will usually provide sap for at least 100 years.