Name: Chocolate Chestnut Candy
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups sweetened chestnut puree; 10 ounces dark baking chocolate

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This decadent chocolate chestnut candy is made by enrobing balls of sweetened chestnut puree in chocolate. Of all the chestnut recipes I’ve made, I think this is my favorite.

Chestnut puree is bursting with chestnut flavor, and has a wonderful cookie dough consistency that works really well as a candy filling.

You can buy it ready-made in a can, but I prefer to make my own from raw chestnuts. It’s easy to do. Basically, you just roast or boil some chestnuts; then, remove the shells; cook the chestnuts in sugar syrup; and puree them in a blender. I have complete instructions here.

Chestnut puree freezes well (and takes up less space than whole chestnuts), so if you have access to chestnut trees, I recommend making and freezing a bunch in September or October, so you can pull some out and make this chocolate chestnut candy during the holidays. It’s the perfect dessert to serve at get-togethers, and makes a great gift.

It only takes about 35 minutes of hands-on time to make a batch of this chestnut candy, and the process couldn’t be easier. Just combine two ingredients, and you’re done.

With such a short ingredient list, it’s worth splurging on the good chocolate. I’ve used dark chocolate in this recipe because it pairs beautifully with the chestnuts, without overshadowing them.

Chocolate Chestnut Candy Recipe

This recipe makes approximately 30 chocolate chestnut candies.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sweetened chestnut puree (1 batch) -> here’s how to make it
10 ounces dark baking chocolate (I used Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Baking Wafers)

If you’re buying fresh chestnuts to make your own sweetened chestnut puree, you’ll need approximately 1 1/2 pounds of fresh chestnuts in the shell, or 1 pound of shelled chestnuts, to make the 2 1/2 cups of puree called for in this recipe.

Tools You’ll Need:

Here’s everything you’ll need to round up, to make a batch of chocolate chestnut candy. I’ve included Amazon links for a few of my kitchen favorites.

Measuring cups
A silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or wax paper
2 small bowls
A small saucepan
A small (1 tablespoon) cookie scoop (optional)
A rubber spatula
A sheet pan
2 forks

What You Do:

Roll Sweetened Chestnut Puree Into Tablespoon-Sized Balls

Use a small cookie scoop or your hands to make 1 tablespoon balls of sweetened chestnut puree. Place them on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper or wax paper.

Chill your chestnut balls for at least 30 minutes to firm them up (longer is fine).

Once your chestnut balls are fully chilled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, or the microwave.

Then, dip the chestnut balls in the melted chocolate. I like to use a rubber spatula to roll the balls around in the chocolate. Then, I use two forks to lift the balls out of the chocolate, and give them a gentle shake to remove any excess chocolate.