Maple Baked Beans | Yankee Recipe Archives (1981)

With maple sugaring season just around the corner, it seemed like the perfect time to head to the Yankee archives in search of a classic maple recipe, and what could be better than a homemade batch of maple baked beans? After pancakes, it’s tough to think of a better use for the natural sweetness of pure maple syrup, but it’s not for lack of trying. Over the years, Yankee has published more than 100 maple-riffic recipes and dedicated no less than a dozen entire food stories to the sweet and sticky treat (most recently Making the Grade in 2013), but when I came across this this simple, home-style Maple Baked Beans recipe from March, 1981, I called off the search — with delicious results.

In that same issue from 1981 (the cover is interesting, no?) were pieces on what it’s like to audition for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, studying night owls with Connecticut ornithologist Dr. Noble Proctor, and “Twelve Generations of Tuttles” — a profile of the “oldest family farm in America” in Dover, New Hampshire. In 2012, we wrote about the Tuttle family again, only this time it was because the farm was for sale after almost 380 years of continuous operation (see Tuttle’s Family Farm | House for Sale). Things have a way of coming full circle here at Yankee…

The main food story in the issue, from the “Great New England Cooks” series, featured mother and daughter-in-law pair Bertha and Helen Robb of West Brattleboro, Vermont. With a family sugar house that produced over 250 gallons of maple syrup each spring, the duo offered up Robb family favorites like maple oatmeal muffins, bread pudding, pancakes, doughnuts, and these maple baked beans, known as “Bertha Robb’s Home Baked Beans.” As a side note, I was also delighted to discover that Robb family farm and sugar house is still up and running in Brattleboro. Take a look here.

I did make a few tweaks to the recipe to suit the weather, which had me cooped up indoors during a snowstorm. Since the only dried beans I had in my pantry were pinto, I went with those instead of the called-for yellow-eye beans, and rather than baking the beans in the oven, I turned to my trusty slow cooker to get them perfectly tender without scorching or drying out. Making baked beans is simple, so long as you’ve got the time to let them simmer to perfection.

Some baked bean recipes cook up thick and rich (canned baked beans tend to have this texture, too), while others produce a thinner “sauce.” This recipe falls into the latter category, so take note, saucy bean lovers. The combination of maple syrup and molasses gave the beans a pronounced sweetness that I appreciated, with a little mustard and salt pork rounding out the flavor profile. These beans aren’t fussy, and that’s just the way I like them. Baked beans taste great on their own, but I love them best for breakfast. Here they made a fantastic addition to a couple of poached eggs on toast:

Of course, baked beans also pair perfectly with hot dogs and a few slices of toasted brown bread to make a filling dish of Franks and Beans, New England-style. Our Brown Bread Muffin recipe works great if you want to go the homemade route with minimal fuss, but a can of B&M Brown Bread will also get the job done quite nicely.

Are you a fan of maple baked beans? What’s the best way to eat them? Share your thoughts in the comments! This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated. 

GET THE RECIPE: Maple Baked Beans