Everyone has heard the opening stanza of the Christmas song: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire; Jack Frost nipping at your nose; Yuletide carols being sung by a choir; And folks dressed up like Eskimos.” So, everyone is aware that chestnuts are traditionally roasted and eaten warm, but one of the most festive ways to eat chestnuts is a French recipe “Marrons Glacé (a.k.a. Candied Chestnuts).” This recipe takes several days to complete, although, the actual cooking time is under 30 minutes. The finished product can be wrapped in little gift boxes and given away as holiday treats or bring them to holiday parties and no one will have the same delectable treat that you bring.

Ingredients

1. 2 pounds of fresh chestnuts, shelled

2. 2 ½ cups of water

3. 2 pounds of sugar

4. 1 teaspoon of vanilla (although I like an extra drop or two as I love vanilla)

Steps

1. Place the chestnuts in a large pan with just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil and cook the chestnuts for 10 minutes.

2. Drain the chestnuts and pour out any remaining water.

3. Using a clean towel, rub the thin skin off the cooked chestnuts. You may prefer to use your fingers, but be careful as they will still be hot, but right after they've been boiled is when removing the skin is the easiest.

4. In a different pan, bring the 2 1/2 cups water, granulated sugar, and vanilla to a boil, stirring constantly.

5. Continue cooking the sugar mixture for 5 minutes, but now stirring occasionally.

6. Add the chestnuts to the boiling sugar syrup and stir until the whole mixture returns to a boil.

7. Continue cooking the chestnuts, stirring frequently, for 10 more minutes.

8. Pour the candied chestnuts along with the syrup into a large container and loosely cover it with plastic wrap.

9. Let the chestnuts soak in the syrup for 12 to 18 hours.

10. Once soaking is complete, place the chestnuts and syrup into a clean pan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

11. Place the mixture in the same container you soaked them in previously. Cover loosely for 18 to 24 hours.

12. Repeat the entire process a total of 3 to 4 times (boil for 2 minutes, soak for up to 18 hours) until the sugar syrup has been totally absorbed by the chestnuts.

13. Once there is no more liquid, it's time to bake the chestnuts in a preheated oven at 250 F. Arrange the candied chestnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

14. Place the baking sheet into the oven and turn off the heat. Allow the chestnuts to dry in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until they have firmed up and the surfaces of the nuts are dry.

15. Store the marrons glacé in an airtight gift tin, or if making for gift boxes, put into paper cases and box or wrap in cellophane. Now go share with friends and family…