Marrons glacés are whole chestnuts candied slowly in sugar syrup over several days, then glazed to a soft shine. The name is French for 'glazed chestnuts.' In Türkiye the same confection is called kestane şekeri, a specialty of Bursa. It is a classic sweet for Christmas and New Year gifting.
How marrons glacés are made
The process is slow and unforgiving, which is why good marrons glacés cost what they do. Fresh chestnuts are scored and cooked just enough to remove the hard shell and the bitter inner skin without letting the nut fall apart. From there, the peeled chestnuts rest in a sugar syrup that is strengthened a little each day. Over roughly a week, the sugar migrates into the nut while the water leaves it, so the chestnut is candied all the way through rather than only coated.
Handling is the hard part. A candied chestnut is fragile, and plenty break along the way. Confectioners rarely waste the pieces: broken chestnuts become crème de marrons, the sweet chestnut spread you may know from French pastry. Once the whole ones are ready, they get a final glaze, dried briefly, and often wrapped in gold or silver foil.
One sweet, several homelands
Candied chestnuts have a long and shared history across the old chestnut-growing belt of southern Europe and Anatolia. In France the tradition is tied to Lyon and the Ardèche; in Italy, to Piedmont and the town of Cuneo. Both regions make a strong claim, and there is no need to settle it here. The house of Clément Faugier in Privas industrialized the sweet in the 1880s and turned the broken pieces into crème de marrons, which is how the spread became a pantry staple.
Türkiye has its own parallel tradition. In Bursa, on the slopes below Uludağ, chestnut forests supply the large, sweet nuts that the city has candied for generations. Ask anyone in Türkiye where to buy kestane şekeri and the answer is Bursa. This is the Turkish version of the same idea, made with local chestnuts and a slightly wetter, syrup-heavy style closer to what the French call marron confit.
One point of confusion worth clearing up: in French, marron here means a large cultivated chestnut, the edible kind. The similar-looking marron d'Inde, or horse chestnut, is a different tree and is not edible. Candied chestnuts are always made from the sweet, edible chestnut.
Marron glacé vs candied chestnut vs kestane şekeri
These names overlap, and the differences come down to region and style more than anything else. Here is a quick guide.
| Term | Language / region | What it means | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marron glacé | French | Whole chestnut candied in syrup, then glazed | Firm outside, tender center; drier finish |
| Marron confit | French | Chestnut candied and kept in syrup, not fully dried | Softer, wetter, more syrupy |
| Candied chestnut | English | General term for either of the above | Varies |
| Kestane şekeri | Turkish (Bursa) | The Turkish candied chestnut | Moist and syrup-rich, close to marron confit |
The Turkish version: kestane şekeri from Bursa
Our candied chestnuts come from Bursa, where the sweet is a point of local pride rather than a seasonal novelty. The nuts are candied whole and stay moist and glossy, with the deep, almost roasted sweetness that separates a good chestnut from a bland one. If you have only met candied chestnuts as a hard, over-sugared petit four, the Bursa style is a different experience.
We sell them in two formats. The 800 g box of candied chestnuts is the generous option, good for a household over the holidays or for a gift that lasts. If you would rather start smaller, the 500 g box of small candied chestnuts uses bite-size nuts that work well as a petit four with coffee.
How to serve marrons glacés
Traditionally a marron glacé is eaten on its own, slowly, with an espresso or a Turkish coffee to cut the sweetness. That is still the best way to meet them. Beyond that, they earn their keep in the kitchen:
- Chop them over vanilla ice cream, or fold pieces through softened ice cream before refreezing.
- Scatter them across a cheese board, where they pair with aged, salty cheeses.
- Use them to finish a Mont Blanc, panettone, or any chestnut dessert.
- Set one on the saucer beside coffee at the end of a meal, the way a good restaurant sends out a petit four.
How to store candied chestnuts
Sugar is a preservative, so candied chestnuts keep well without much fuss. Store them in an airtight container somewhere cool and dry, away from direct sun. Avoid the fridge: the cold and damp draw moisture to the surface and can make the sugar weep. Kept properly, they hold their texture for several weeks, and the individually wrapped ones travel and gift particularly well.
A gift for Christmas and New Year
Candied chestnuts have been a festive luxury for centuries, and the reason is simple: they are labor-intensive, they look the part in foil and ribbon, and they keep long enough to post. In France and Italy they turn up on the table between Christmas and New Year. In Türkiye, a box of Bursa kestane şekeri is a classic host gift through the winter.
If you are putting together a hamper or a corporate basket, candied chestnuts sit comfortably next to Turkish delight, marzipan, and dried fruit. We ship them worldwide from Türkiye, so a box of Bursa chestnuts can reach a table in London, Madrid, or New York in time for the season.
Marrons glacés: frequently asked questions
What are marrons glacés made of?
Just two things, really: whole chestnuts and sugar. The chestnuts are peeled, gently cooked, then candied in a sugar syrup that grows stronger over about a week before a final glaze. Some makers add a little vanilla to the syrup. That is the whole recipe.
What is the difference between a marron glacé and a marron confit?
Both are candied chestnuts. A marron glacé is dried and glazed after candying, giving a firmer, less sticky sweet. A marron confit is kept in its syrup and stays softer and wetter. Turkish kestane şekeri sits closer to the marron confit end of the scale.
Why are marrons glacés so expensive?
The work and the waste. Candying takes the better part of a week of careful handling, and chestnuts are fragile, so a good number break and never make it to the box as whole nuts. You are paying for labor and for the whole, intact chestnuts that survive the process.
What is kestane şekeri?
Kestane şekeri is the Turkish name for candied chestnuts, kestane meaning chestnut and şeker meaning sugar. The city of Bursa is its home, thanks to the chestnut forests on the slopes of Uludağ. It is the Turkish version of the marron glacé, usually moister and more syrup-rich.
How long do candied chestnuts last?
Stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot, they keep their texture for several weeks and stay edible well beyond that, since the sugar preserves them. Keep them out of the fridge, which encourages the sugar to weep.
Where can I buy candied chestnuts online?
You can order Bursa candied chestnuts directly from our shop, in either an 800 g box or a smaller 500 g box of bite-size chestnuts, shipped worldwide from Türkiye. They arrive ready to serve or wrap as a gift.
