This Chestnut Jam with brown sugar, warming spices, honey, and brandy is a tasty seasonal spread. Enjoy it with toasted bread or as a filling for cakes or desserts. And it makes an excellent Christmas gift, too!
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Hello, folks! How are you doing? I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and you are ready for the new week. Well, and apparently, the last month of 2024. How crazy is that, right?
And today, I am sharing another recipe with chestnuts – one of the favourites of the holiday season!
Chestnut Jam
Chestnut jam. How does it sound?
I made Chocolate Chestnut Spread a while ago, and it was quite good. But this jam (or spread) is a completely different story. From my understanding, it is quite common in Italy and some other European countries. (Well, when I was making this version, I referred to a few Italian sites, including Chestnut Jam: Recipe + Tips – La Cucina Italiana.)
Most original recipes I checked called for only three ingredients – chestnuts, granulated sugar, and water. Some suggested aromatics like vanilla seeds or a splash of brandy.
My version did not turn out glossy like the recipes I followed. I believe this is so because I opted for light brown sugar. Plus, the addition of warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. And yes, I also added a few good splashes of both brandy and triple sec.
So, my version of jam may not look and taste as authentic as other recipes. But it did taste great, and as long as the taste is good, I am fine with the result.
How to Use it
I think there is a plenty of ways to enjoy this Chestnut Jam. The easy way would be on a warm toasted bread with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Think of filling for trifles, cakes, and tarts. I also saw suggestions to use it as a filling for ravioli (sounds tasty!). I was planning to use to for bliss balls. But honestly, this spread was so good, that I ended up eating it on toasted baguette. Either ways, you will like it!
I hope you like this Chestnut Jam, and you will give it a try. If you make it, please let me know in this post or send me an Instagram message or share your photos by adding the hashtag #havocinthekitchen.
Cheers!
Chestnut Jam
Course: Dessert8-14
servings1
hour20
minutes30
minutesThis Chestnut Jam with brown sugar, warming spices, honey, and brandy is a tasty seasonal spread. Enjoy it with toasted bread or as a filling for cakes or desserts. And it makes an excellent Christmas gift, too!
The recipe adapted from La Cucina Italiana
Ingredients
about 700-750 gr. chestnuts
3/5 cup (150 gr.) light-brown sugar
2 tbsp. (40 ml.) honey
about 80-100 ml. water
a few generous splashes (2-3 tbsp. or 30-45 ml.) brandy or triple sec (or both) (optional)
a small pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger and nutmeg, each
Directions
- Wash the chestnuts and using a sharp knife, score (x-shaped cuts) each of them.
- Transfer the chestnuts to a medium-large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 45 minutes. Turn the heat off and let the chestnuts cool in the water for about 15 minutes.
- Drain them, then peel off the first layer of tough brown skin and as much of the papery brown skin as possible.
- Put them back in the pot, cover with water and boil for another 10 minutes. Drain, cool a little, then peel off the remaining pieces of skin.
- Now, you have two options. Either mash the chestnuts with a potato masher (for a more rustic, dense result) or process them in a blender (for a smoother, creamier jam). I opted for something in between: I used an immersion blender, leaving some little chunks of chestnuts.
- Now, you will need to do the math. You will need to measure the chestnuts pure (you should have about 550 gr.) Now, you need to measure the sugar, equal to 1/3 of the weight of the chestnut pure. lastly, you need to measure water, which is equal to 1/3 of the weight of the sugar. For example, in my case I had nearly 600 gr. of chestnut pure, which required ~200 gr. of sugar (I used 150 gr. of sugar and 40 gr. of honey) and about 100 ml. of water.
- Place the water, sugar, honey, and spices in a medium saucepan over low heat. When the sugar has dissolved, add the chestnut cream.
- Cook the jam for about 20 minutes, constantly stirring – it could start sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it looks too think, you can add a little of water.
- At the end, add a few good splashes of brandy or triple sec (or both as I did). This is optional, but it will nicely round out the sweetness.
- Cool then transfer it to jars. The jam will stay fresh for up to two weeks refrigerated, but if want to expand its shelf life, use sterilized jars.
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Again, this sounds so incredibly rich and delectable. I’m not very well-versed with chestnuts, but you are getting me to the point where I have to start cooking lots of things with them.
Sounds amazing, Ben! Like Nutella for grown ups. :-)
Thank you Frank!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Spruce Tea
I love how you’ve added warming spices and a splash of brandy and triple sec for extra depth on this jam, it must give the jam such a cozy, rich flavour.
Thank you Raymund!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Spruce Tea
Oh this chestnut jam looks so luxuriously rich and delicious! What a treat to spread this on toast, maybe paired with some nutella! :)
Thank you Michelle!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Spruce Tea
Geez, I would probably end up eating the whole bowl with nutty creamy goodness…too dangerous to keep them in the house.
angiesrecipes recently posted…Beer and Walnut Bread
Thank you Angie!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Spruce Tea
I could make my chocolate pasta to go with your suggestion of ravioli.
Tandy (Lavender and Lime) recently posted…November 2024 Showcasing In My Kitchen
Thank you Tandy!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Spruce Tea