How to Make Candied Strawberries (2024)

FAQs

How long to let strawberries sit in sugar? ›

Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar per 1 lb. strawberries, stir to combine in a large bowl, then cover and refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

The quickest, easiest path to sweeter strawberries is tossing them with a spoonful of sugar (or sugar substitute, if you prefer). Just a little bit of sugar is all you need. Spoon it over chopped or sliced berries, stir together, then let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes before digging in.

Lay your strawberries out on a baking tray and put them in a pre-heated oven at 350 °F (177 °C) for about 20 minutes. The heat from your oven will cause the natural sugars within the strawberry to concentrate, making them sweeter to your tongue.

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.

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.

All you need for macerated strawberries is time and sugar. :) In this case, I used about 1/4 cup of sugar and a 1/2 quart of strawberries and let them sit overnight. It's best to use at least 2 tablespoons sugar per cup of berries and increase the amount based on the tartness of the berries.

Macerating fruit simply means to soften or steep it. It might sound fancy, but the process is really quite simple: Macerating typically involves adding sugar and often a liquid (like fruit juice or liquor) to fruit, and letting it all marinate until the fruit is soft or more tender.

Stir the berries and sugar together well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before using. They will last in the fridge for 5 to 6 days, but they're really best eaten within 48 hours.

If your strawberries aren't sweet, look at your current soil conditions. Strawberries perform best in well-drained, fertile, and slightly acidic soils. In fact, these plants tend to yield more and are sweeter when grown in compost-enriched, sandy soil.

Soaking your berries in vinegar won't affect how they taste. This soaking method extends the shelf life of your strawberries.

Does salt make strawberries sweeter? ›

As Crosby explains, “I would say that the fruits that tend to contain more of these sugars, either sucrose or glucose or fructose, the greater the enhancement you're going to perceive of the sweetness due to the salt.” Salt will make the sweetest fruits (i.e. cherries and strawberries) even sweeter, but if you're more ...

Macerating—soaking or steeping in liquid and/or sweetener—is one of the easiest and fastest ways to doctor up sub-par berries. Toss them in sugar, honey, or maple syrup, along with a little fresh juice or alcohol (an herbal liqueur, like elderflower spirit, would be great).

The sugar will coax out the berries' juices, creating a thick and succulent syrup, while the strawberries will deepen in flavor and soften in texture. The result is a versatile, sweet-tart topping that's hard to resist.

Toss all ingredients together and roast. Sweeten any strawberry without adding extra sugar. The heat concentrates their natural sugars for a sweeter, deeper and richer strawberry flavor. No extra sugar necessary with this method.

Macerated strawberries demonstrate osmosis at work. Sprinkle sugar on the cut strawberries, and watch how a puddle of syrup collects on the surface. The high amount of sugar outside the strawberry's cells, combined with sugar's ability to attract water, causes the water to leach out of the fruit.

Whole Berries Sugar Pack – Add ¾ cup sugar to 1 quart (1 1/3 pounds) strawberries and mix thoroughly. Stir until most of the sugar is dissolved or let stand for 15 minutes. Put into containers, leaving headspace. Seal and freeze.