Have you ever tried Marron Glace (marrons glacés)? These glossy candied chestnuts are a classic French confection. They're sweet, nutty, a little bougie, and shockingly doable with a few simple ingredients, including boiled or roasted chestnuts, sugar, and water.
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These elegant little gems are made by slowly simmering chestnuts in a concentrated sugar syrup until they become tender, sweet, and irresistibly glossy.
The process of making marron glace takes time and is similar to making glacé figs. The result is a confection prized throughout France, especially during the holidays.
Whether enjoyed on their own, dipped in chocolate, or used to elevate desserts, marrons glacé are the kind of treat that makes you pause and savor every bite.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Traditional French candy, made simple. No special equipment needed.
- Candied chestnuts are great for gifting!
- Marron glacé are naturally gluten-free.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chestnuts: One pound of FRESH chestnuts.
- Sweetener: Granulated sugar and brown sugar.
- Flavoring: Vanilla bean, cardamom pods, and brandy or rum (optional).
- Optional Spices: Cinnamon and cloves.
👌 How to Choose Chestnuts
Fresh chestnuts feel dense and full. If they're light and feel hollow, pass! It indicates the nut inside is shrinking/shriveling. Give them a squeeze; they should feel firm, not spongy or soft. Look for smooth, shiny shells with no cracks or holes. You can also shake them; if they rattle, they're bad! Finally, you can add them to a bowl of water; floaters usually mean old, dried, or damaged chestnuts.
🌰 How to Make Marron Glace (Candied Chestnuts)
Prep Chestnuts
Step 1: Wash chestnuts and soak in warm water for 10 minutes. Score the round side with an X using a scoring tool or a cut along the top with a sharp chestnut knife.
Pro Tip: You can also score them before soaking them.
Step 2: Boil water in a pan, and heat an empty cast-iron skillet. Add scored chestnuts to boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, then remove and add to the hot skillet. Cover and steam for an additional 5 minutes. Add a little hot water to the pan to create steam, if necessary.
Pro Tip: You could technically just boil the chestnuts or roast them; however, I found boiling and steaming not only made them more tender, but they were much easier to peel!
Step 3: Peel the shell and inner skin while chestnuts are still warm, being careful to keep the nuts intact. Set aside broken pieces.
Prepare Syrup
Step 4: Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cardamom pods, split vanilla bean, and 3 cups of water to a wide pan to avoid crowding the chestnuts. Bring syrup to a simmer and whisk until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
Candy Chestnuts
Step 5: Carefully add chestnuts to the syrup to avoid breaking them. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool completely, then cover the saucepan, and allow chestnuts to soak overnight in syrup.
Days 2-7 (Simmer Marron Glace Daily)
Step 6: Simmer chestnuts gently for 3 minutes every 24 hours. By the 6th day, the syrup will thicken, and the chestnuts will be glossy. During the final simmer, stir in brandy, if desired.
Dry Chestnuts
Step 7: Carefully remove chestnuts with a slotted spoon and arrange on a small tray with a wire rack, so excess syrup can drain. Dry in a 250°F oven for 45 minutes.
Looking for more chestnut recipes? Try this chestnut puree recipe & my chestnut dressing recipe!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
They're a holiday luxury item that requires good-quality chestnuts, which are not cheap. They're also delicate, so the more breakage, the higher the cost. The candying process takes days!
"Marrons" in French means "chestnuts," and "glacés" means "candied" or "glazed," referring to the process of soaking something in sugar syrup until it becomes sweet and glossy.
They taste like a cross between chestnut puree, maple candy, and buttery caramel. They're sweet and nutty with a tender middle and a slightly chewy, glossy exterior.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Make sure you use fresh chestnuts; otherwise, they will not become tender.
- If possible, use large chestnuts; they hold their shape better.
- If a few break, save them for topping desserts or folding into ice cream.
- Don't rush the candying stage; slower is better!
- You can create a simple glaze with some of the chestnut syrup mixed with powdered sugar to glaze the candied chestnuts after they're dried.
- To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Store marron glacé in a parchment-lined box for gifting!
🍫 More Dessert Recipes
If you enjoyed this marron glace recipe, check out these related posts!
📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Wash chestnuts and soak in warm water for 10 minutes. Score the round side with an X using a scoring tool or a cut along the top with a sharp chestnut knife.
- Boil water in a pan, and heat an empty cast-iron skillet. Add scored chestnuts to boiling water and boil for 5 minutes, then remove and add to the hot skillet. Cover and steam for an additional 5 minutes. Add a little hot water to the pan to create steam, if necessary.
- Peel the shell and inner skin while chestnuts are still warm, being careful to keep the nuts intact. Set aside broken pieces.
- Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cardamom pods, split vanilla bean, and 3 cups water to a wide pan to avoid crowding the chestnuts. Bring syrup to a simmer and whisk until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
- Carefully add chestnuts to the syrup to avoid breaking them. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and cool completely, then cover the saucepan, and allow chestnuts to soak overnight in syrup.
- Simmer chestnuts gently for 3 minutes every 24 hours. By the 6th day, the syrup will thicken, and the chestnuts will be glossy. During the final simmer, stir in brandy, if desired.
- Carefully remove chestnuts with a slotted spoon and arrange on a small tray with a wire rack, so excess syrup can drain. Dry in a 250°F oven for 45 minutes.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- You could technically just boil the chestnuts or roast them; however, I found boiling and steaming not only made them more tender, but they were much easier to peel!
- Make sure you use fresh chestnuts; otherwise, they will not become tender.
- If possible, use large chestnuts; they hold their shape better.
- If a few break, save them for topping desserts or folding into ice cream.
- Don't rush the candying stage; slower is better!
- You can create a simple glaze with some of the chestnut syrup mixed with powdered sugar to glaze the candied chestnuts after they're dried.
- To store, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Store marron glacé in a parchment-lined box for gifting!
Hilda Sterner says
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