How to Make Candied Strawberries (Foolproof Recipe) — Vicky Pham (2024)

FAQs

Why won't my candied strawberries harden? ›

Why aren't my candied strawberries 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 isn't my sugar hardening on my tanghulu? If the sugar isn't setting, it means that the sugar hadn't been heated to the right temperature. Make sure you check the temperature or consistency of the sugar water mixture before dipping your fruit.

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.

In hard candy making, it is important to cook all the water out of the sugar/corn syrup/water mixture. If the sugar mixture is not cooked to the proper temperature (the hard-crack stage 300-310° F {149-154° C.} or if you are working in a kitchen with high humidity, chances are your candy is retaining too much moisture.

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. If making chocolate tanghulu, once the cocoa powder is added, it will begin to crystallize.

Choose a dry day to make your candy. Just like my grandma always said, never make candy on a humid day! Your candy will not set properly and will be sticky.

Test the sugar mixture by drizzling a small amount into the bowl of cold water. If it immediately hardens, it's ready to dip fruit in. Why is my tanghulu sticky? The fruit was either not patted dry, or the sugar mixture wasn't hot enough.

Cook the fruits in the sugar syrup until they are transparent. Depending on the thickness of the slices, this could take a few minutes. To preserve a decent texture, pay close attention and avoid overcooking. Transfer the candied fruits to a wire rack to drain the leftover sugar syrup using a slotted spoon.

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).

Candied fruit will last longest either packed in syrup in an airtight container with barely any headspace in the fridge, or else dried completely.

Can dogs eat strawberries? ›

Yes, dogs can eat strawberries. “Dogs can eat strawberries in moderation,” says Dr. Jennifer Power, D.V.M., senior veterinarian at Small Door Vet, a chain of veterinary facilities in the Northeast. “They are a safe and healthy treat for most dogs due to their low-calorie and high-nutrient content.”

Strawberry plants produce smaller quantities of sugars when the weather is cool and cloudy. As a result, berries are not as sweet when the weather is cool and rainy in May and June. Leather rot, caused by a fungal disease, can be a problem in wet weather. Infected fruit have a leathery texture and bitter taste.

A Two-Ingredient Topping

If you're not familiar with maceration, it's a very hands-off technique to soften and break down berries or other fruits. By simply adding sugar to cut the berries, they'll become juicer and sweeter, and their flavor will intensify.

The butter separates from the sugar; candy won't harden:

Use a medium-high heat so the syrup cooks relatively quickly. Also, be sure you're using high quality butter - never margarines, which may contain too much water for candy making.

You're probably pretty familiar with this trick that can revive things like wilted greens, but it turns out it works with wilted strawberries too. All you have to do is pop these "sad" strawberries into a bucket of ice water for 20 minutes and boom! They're back to being bright red and perfectly juicy again.

Wash and Thoroughly Dry the Strawberries First

I like to do this in advance and allow the strawberries to sit on some paper towels for at least an hour, allowing them to fully air dry. Dipping a damp strawberry will not only ruin your melted chocolate but it won't stick properly to the strawberry.

To make your strawberry puree thicker, you're going to want to simmer it for a few minutes. Simmering the mixture reduces the amount of moisture that is in the puree allowing for a stronger strawberry flavor with less liquid.