Every year I go a little crazy picking chestnuts, shelling them and freezing them for eating throughout the year.

This year I have decided to go sweet treats with them so I have made a sweet chestnut puree.

The chestnut Puree can be added to a variety of bakes and treats.

You Will Need:

• 750g Chestnuts (peeled)
• 600ml Water
• 350g Granulated Sugar
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

• Put all the ingredients together in a roomy saucepan (I used my medium pan).
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 25mins.
• The chestnuts will be nice and soft and a bit pulpy.
• Liquidise or mash until smooth, adding more water if necessary (a little at a time) until you have reached the consistency you require.
• Each time I make this the amount of water needed changes very slightly. Chestnuts do vary for batch to batch and year to year.
• Allow to cool, store in the fridge in an airtight container for 1-2weeks.
• It may keep longer in sterilized jars, but to be honest I have always used within a couple of weeks.

Tip:

Peeling chestnuts: I have found the best way to peel chestnuts is to blanch them for a couple of minutes, cut them in half, while they are still hot and the shell pops off.

I do these in batches of 4-6 chestnuts at a time because as the shells cool they harden and don’t come off so easily.

I then pop them straight into a freezer bag and freeze until I need them.