How to Make Candied Fruit (2024)

How To Make how to make candied fruit

  • 1

    Prepare fruit. Cut pineapple, apricots and watermelon rind into small pieces; chop cherries in half; remove white pith from lemon, orange or grapefruit peel and cut into strips or small pieces. Depending on your finished use you may also simply cut your fruit into 1/4 inch (aprox.) slices.

  • 2

    Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup honey and 1-1/2 cups water in heavy saucepan.

  • 3

    Boil over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 235 degrees F on candy thermometer.

  • 4

    Thread Stage230° F–235° Fsugar concentration: 80%At this relatively low temperature, there is still a lot of water left in the syrup. When you drop a little of this syrup into cold water to cool, it forms a liquid thread that will not ball up.Cooking sugar syrup to this stage gives you not candy, but syrup—something you might make to pour over ice cream.

  • 5

    Drop small amount of fruit into liquid.

  • 6

    Cook on low heat 20-30 minutes until the fruit or rind is transparent.

  • 7

    Drain and repeat with rest of fruit in the same syrup.

  • 8

    Cool fruit and store in airtight container. Your fruit can also be rolled in granulated sugar after it is cooled, to give it a nice frosty coating and to help keep the bits separate.

  • 9

    NOTE: When you are done making your candied fruit, you will have a very tasty syrup that can be used to sweeten drinks, or pour over ice cream... or whatever you can dream up. It might even be good as a glaze on a bundt cake! Be sure you taste it before storing it. If you like it, keep it. If you don't, well then toss it out.

  • 10

    Here's how they do it in Canada with lots more tips and information:http://www.canadianliving.com/food/cooking_school/how_to_make_candied_fruit.phpMore information and tips can be found at: http://allrecipes.com/howto/candying-fruits/

  • 11

    Interesting history from Wikipedia: Food preservation methods using sugar (palm syrup and honey) were known to the ancient cultures of China and Mesopotamia. However, the precursors of modern candying were the Arabs, who served candied citrus and roses at the important moments of their banquets. With the Arab domination of parts of southern Europe, candied fruit made its way to the West. The first documents that demonstrate the use of candied fruit in Europe date back to the sixteenth century.

  • 12

    Tips & Warnings You can blanch citrus peels (dip them in boiling water for a few minutes) to make them less bitter. If desired, you can also DEHYDRATE your CANDIED FRUIT by spreading thin layers on trays and drying for 12-18 hours at 120 degrees F until fruit is no longer sticky and the center has no moisture. To sun dry, put trays in full sun for 1-2 days, stirring occasionally, until fruit is no longer sticky. Take trays in at night. To oven dry, spread on trays and dry at 120 degrees F for 18-24 hours. Store dried candied fruit in an airtight container.

  • 13

    Found this particular recipe on http://www.ehow.com/how_3910_make-candied-fruit.html#ixzz2FQpsT6S

  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
How to Make Candied Fruit (2024)

FAQs

How is candied fruit made? ›

Though recipes vary, the general principle is to boil, then steep fruit in increasingly stronger sugar solutions for a number of weeks, then dry off any remaining water.

Why is my candied fruit not hardening? ›

If your candied coating isn't hardening, the candying mixture did not reach a high enough temperature. Allow your candying mixture to cook until it bubbles, thickens, and turns a rich golden color, sort of like caramel. Then, quickly turn off the heat so it doesn't burn.

Why is my tanghulu not working? ›

One of the biggest issues when making tanghulu is crystallization. Crystallization is when the sugar crystals start joining together, this causes the sugar to get lumpy and grainy. You won't be able to get that clear, glossy finish tanghulu has.

How to make candied fruit in a dehydrator? ›

- Place your candied fruit sugar on the plates of your dehydrator set to under 40 ° C. - Check from time to time to assess the progress of drying over 15-20 hours in the dehydrator is a good basis, but it depends on the size of candied fruit, climatic conditions and the performance of your applicance.

Is candied fruit healthy? ›

Dried fruit with added sugar are also referred to as “candied” fruit. Added sugar has repeatedly been shown to have harmful effects on health, increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease and even cancer ( 28 , 29 ).

What fruits are best for candying? ›

Candying fruit is the relatively simple process of infusing fruits or citrus peels in a sugar syrup. Grapefruit peel, kumquats, orange and lemon rind, fresh cherries, and pineapple are all good choices for candying.

Why is my candied fruit sticky? ›

Why is my hard candy soft and sticky? The simple answer is that there is too much moisture in your candy. One or more factors could be contributing to this problem. In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugar/corn syrup/water mixture.

How do you keep candied fruit hard? ›

Always keep in freezer!!

What is the difference between candied and crystallized fruit? ›

Candied fruit is known as crystallized fruit or glacé fruit, where the whole fruit or smaller pieces of fruit/peel are placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from the fruit and eventually preserves it (Kuwabara, 1988).

How long do you leave tanghulu in an ice bath? ›

Working quickly, place fruit end of one skewer in sugar mixture, rotating to fully coat; allow excess syrup to drip back into pan. Place dipped skewer, fruit side down, in ice bath, allowing to cool fully, about 1 minute.

What happens if you stir tanghulu? ›

To make the chocolate tanghulu, dip or pour the sugar using a spoon over the strawberry skewers and dunk the skewers in ice water so the sugar will harden immediately. Remember to not stir or add water to the sugar, it will harden right away.

Why does my tanghulu keep crystallizing? ›

Why did my tanghulu crystallize? The sugar will crystallize if you stir it while you cook it. Make sure you don't stir the sugar after it comes to a simmer. If it does crystallize, add another half cup of water and start the process again.

What is the difference between dried fruit and candied fruit? ›

Candying fruit began as a means of preservation, like drying. But unlike the process of drying, in which liquid is taken away (think of raisins for example), candying involves an elegant transfusion. Over time, and at repeated intervals, liquid within the fruit is replaced with sugar syrup.

Can I sprinkle sugar on fruit before dehydrating? ›

Dehydrating Strawberries

If you want to sweeten the strawberries, sprinkle with sugar after you place the slices on the trays. Sweetening the strawberries in a bowl first draws out juices and makes them messier to work with. Dehydrate strawberries at 135°F (57°C) for approximately 6–8 hours.

How do you rehydrate candied fruit? ›

Put your dried fruit in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes, and then strain the fruit and discard the water. The fruit will be plumper, juicier, and softer. To give your fruit some extra flavor, swap the water for fruit juice or a liquor, like rum, bourbon, or brandy.

What is the difference between candied and dried fruit? ›

Candying fruit began as a means of preservation, like drying. But unlike the process of drying, in which liquid is taken away (think of raisins for example), candying involves an elegant transfusion. Over time, and at repeated intervals, liquid within the fruit is replaced with sugar syrup.

Is glazed fruit the same as candied? ›

Candied fruit is coated in sugar. This makes the shell even thicker, and adds some pleasant chewiness. Glazed fruit, on the other hand, might be less chewy and have a thinner 'shell'. Depending on what you want to use the fruit for, this is something that you will need to take into consideration.

Why do crystals form on candied fruit? ›

Sugar crystals form when you create a supersaturated solution of sugar and water — that just means there's more sugar than can be dissolved in the boiling water — and let it cool. As it cools, the sugar comes out of the solution and forms crystals.

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