The hard quince jelly candy, similar to quince jam, is a typical grandma’s recipe. It is prepared with quinces or quince pears, and once hardened, it is cut into pieces and resembles gummy candies. I did not know this recipe; I discovered it by chance when I was given a beautiful basket of this autumn fruit, the quince, and I began to ask how else I could use them other than the usual jam. That’s when grandmothers and aunts started talking to me about quince jelly candy, and searching through their notes, the original recipe emerged.
It involves cooking the quinces with sugar in the right proportions, just as you do when making quince jam. Once cooked, you pour it into a mold, giving it a height of about 3/4 inch. Once the quince jelly candy has hardened, it’s cut into cubes and rolled in granulated sugar.
Of course, it seems needless to mention how delicious these candies are; they keep well if wrapped in wax paper, but I assure you they don’t last long. If you try them, let me know and stay tuned for the next grandma’s recipe!
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 1 jar
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
- Energy 224.34 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 58.33 (g) of which sugars 49.93 (g)
- Proteins 0.23 (g)
- Fat 0.22 (g) of which saturated 0.01 (g)of which unsaturated 0.05 (g)
- Fibers 1.08 (g)
- Sodium 2.97 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs quinces
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- Half glass water
- lemon
- 0.5 cup granulated sugar
Tools
To strain the jam, you can use a food mill or an immersion blender. I preferred the former.
- Saucepan
- Food Mill
Recipe
Wash the quinces thoroughly, then use a cloth to rub the skin carefully to remove the fuzz. Cut them into 4 wedges, remove the core and any spoiled parts, and cut them into small pieces, which you will place gradually in a bowl with water acidulated with the juice of a lemon to prevent browning.
Take a saucepan, drain the quinces, and transfer them into the pot with half a glass of water, lemon peel, sugar, and cook until the quinces are very soft (at least 30-35 minutes).
Now pass them through the food mill or blend them with an immersion blender (I preferred the former) and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or so. The quince jelly should have a smooth appearance. Up to this point, the process is similar to making quince jam.
In the following steps, we’ll see how to proceed to make the hard quince jelly candy.
Line a rectangular mold with parchment paper, pour the hot quince jelly into it, and level the surface. You need to give it a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Let it harden for a whole day, then cut it into vertical strips with a sharp knife.
Continue cutting horizontally to obtain small squares similar to candies, which you will roll one by one in granulated sugar.
Done! You have already prepared your quince jelly candy, similar to small gelatinous fruit candies; they are so delicious that one leads to another. If you want to store them for a long time, you can wrap each piece in wax paper, although I’m sure they’ll be gone soon.
Storage and Tips
Storage: The hard quince jelly candy keeps well if stored in dry places. For long-term storage lasting several months, you can choose to wrap each piece in wax paper or cling film and place them in a tin kept in a cool, dry place.
Tips: If you use the quince jelly candy soon, you can also keep it in the fridge and roll it in sugar just before serving.
You can skip using a mold and spread it directly onto a smooth surface covered with parchment paper.
Acidulated water helps prevent the quinces from browning, but you can skip this step and place them directly in the saucepan.
