1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup

2 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter, plus more for the pan

1 cup chopped walnuts

Put maple syrup, sugar and milk in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Set heat at medium and cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves.

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until a soft ball forms when a drop of the mixture is put into a cup of cold water or 234° F. is reached on a candy thermometer. (This will take at least 15 minutes.)

When the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage, remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool the fudge in the saucepan until the bottom of the pan feels comfortably warm. Stir in the nuts. Beat by hand until thick. The fudge will stiffen and lose its gloss. Spoon into a buttered 8-by-8-inch pan. Cool completely, then cut in 1-inch squares.

Note: Because fudge is a supersaturated solution, many factors, including the weather, affect cooking time.