Marrons Glacé - They Take a While to Make But Worth it

Gather the ingredients. The Spruce / Cara Cormack 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. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Drain the chestnuts and discard the cooking liquid. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Using a clean dish towel (some people prefer to use their fingers), rub the thin skin off the cooked chestnuts. Be careful as they might be a hot, but right after they've been boiled is when removing the skin is the easiest. The Spruce / Cara Cormack In a separate pan, bring the 2 1/2 cups water, granulated sugar, and vanilla to a boil, stirring constantly. The Spruce / Victoria Heydt Continue cooking the sugar mixture for 5 minutes, but now stirring occasionally. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Add the prepared chestnuts to the boiling sugar syrup and stir the chestnuts until the whole mixture returns to a boil. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Continue cooking the chestnuts, stirring frequently, for 10 more minutes. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Pour the candied chestnuts along with the syrup into a large container and loosely cover it. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Allow the chestnuts to soak in the syrup for 12 to 18 hours. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Once the soaking time has passed, place the chestnuts and syrup into a clean pan and let boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Place the mixture in the same container you soaked them in the first time. Cover loosely for 18 to 24 hours. The Spruce / Cara Cormack 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. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Once there's 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. The Spruce / Cara Cormack 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. The Spruce / Cara Cormack Store the marrons glace in an airtight tin, or if making for gifts, put into paper cases and box or wrap in cellophane. Enjoy. The Spruce / Cara Cormack