This candied strawberries recipe is so easy and simple, delicious and you only need 3 ingredients! You can also replace the strawberries with any fruit you have to make candied fruit. Candied strawberries are often served on a stick in night markets of Taiwan, and is one of my all-time favorite desserts. Crunchy and sweet on the outside, soft and sour on the inside- a perfect balance!
The Fruits
Traditionally, little pears(ShanZha 山楂) are used to make these snacks, but now you can find all kinds of fruit being skewered and dipped into syrup in the night markets of Taiwan. Experiment and find your favorite fruit!!
Strawberries in TangHuLu is actually a newer thing. Taiwan’s strawberry season is very short, and it’s in spring so this is a very seasonal treat. The most common candied fruit in Taiwan is actually cherry tomatoes, sometimes stuffed with preserved prunes. They are much cheaper and surprisingly delicious!
I keep emphasizing Taiwan because I got a comment saying that this is not “authentic”, but this IS what I grew up with in Taiwan. Just clarifying that this is OUR version so I don’t offend anyone. 😉
The Candy Coating
Starts with sugar and 1/4 the amount of water, on low heat. The syrup coating is ready when it reaches 300°F (150°C), or just as the color starts to turn golden. For easy coating, make more syrup than you actually need. The extra syrup can be turned into a caramel sauce for coffee and ice cream topping! (recipe included below)
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Ingredients
- 2 C White Sugar You can use raw sugar too, but coating will be extra golden
- 1/2 C Water
- 20 Strawberries
Instructions
- Clean the strawberries and pat dry. Remove the stems and skewer them if you want, or leave as is and coat one at a time.
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan, on low heat, melt all the sugar and turn the heat up to medium.
- As the color of the syrup starts to turn yellow; or use a thermometer, when the syrup reaches 300F(150C), the syrup is ready. Immediately turn the heat down to low to keep the temperature.
- Coat the strawberries with the syrup and place them on a piece of parchment paper. Moving as fast as you can so the syrup doesn't overheat and turn into caramel nor burn the fruit.
- Let cool and enjoy! These can also be made ahead of time and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Caramel Sauce
- Using the leftover syrup, keep it on the stove until it turns into a light brown, caramel color. Add 1/4C Boiling water to the saucepan and stir. Be careful as the sauce will splatter. Remove the sauce from heat and store in a jar.
