How to make Tanghulu strawberries with sugar and water. Like our Candied Grapes you can use any fresh fruit to make this 2 ingredient sugared sweet dessert seen on TikTok. Served as a weekend treat or for Chinese New Year it is a family favorite we love.
Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese snack that consists of skewered fruits coated in a hard, glossy sugar shell. It’s commonly made with hawthorn berries, but you can use other fruits like strawberries, grapes, or tangerine segments. The sweet and crunchy exterior pairs beautifully with the tartness of the fruit inside.
What is Tanghulu made of?
We are using just sugar and water here, some like to add a bit of corn syrup but when we made it a few times it didn’t seem like that was needed. The difference is if you use the extra ingredient the outcome looks a bit shinier but the crunch is the same either way so you choose. We like just 2 ingredients, makes things easier.
Ingredients
- You will want a candy thermometer to test the temperature to make sure the sugar dissolves all the way
- Granulated sugar
- Water
How to Make Candied Strawberries
- Prepare fresh fruit you are using by rinsing and thoroughly drying each piece. If any moisture is left the candied sugar mixture will not stick, it will slide right off.
- Skewer onto wooden kabob sticks with 3-4 on each one.
- Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water, set aside.
- Heat in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat the sugar and water. Stir until the sugar dissolves and reaches 300 degrees F. using a candy thermometer.
- This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- The syrup should be clear and bubbling. Remove it from the heat and quickly dip each fruit skewer into the hot sugar syrup. Make sure each is fully coated.
- Allow any excess syrup to drip off. Submerge in ice water immediately for 1 minute each so the coating can cools and harden quickly.
- Remove and sit dessert kabobs on parchment paper, enjoy immediately as coating will start to soften within 5 minutes.
Can you use Frozen strawberries for Tanghulu?
Using frozen strawberries for tanghulu is generally not recommended because the freezing and thawing process changes the texture and moisture content of the fruit. Right out of the freezer tends to become mushy when thawed, which makes them difficult to skewer and coat evenly with sugar syrup.
Why is my tanghulu not crunchy?
The biggest problem with this not working is that you didn’t get the sugar water hot enough. If it doesn’t reach 300 degrees F the granuals won’t dissolve all the way which will cause it to start to separate from the liquid and not harden as crispy as you want it to.
You need twice as much sugar than water so 2:1 ratio to create a thick sugar mixture to dip into so it coats your fruit entirely. You want a thick almost corn syrup like texture so it sticks nicely and doesn’t slide right off before submerging into the ice water to cool quickly.
1. Completely dry the fruit at the beginning, no water should be left on the outside.
2. Boil the sugar and water completely making sure it reaches 300F., no lower.
3. Have a bowl of ice water ready to dunk your coated skewers in.
4. Only submerge your fruit for 1 minute and enjoy immediately for the best taste and crunch!
We hope you enjoy this easy Valentines Day recipe that will brighten up your party tray.
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Tanghulu Strawberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12-16 strawberries
- 1 c sugar
- 1/2 c water
Instructions
- Prepare the Fruit by rinsing and thoroughly drying each piece. Skewer onto wooden skewers with 3-4 on each one. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes and water, set aside.
- Heat in a medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat the sugar and water. Stir until the sugar dissolves and reaches 300 degrees F. using a candy thermometer. This will take about 10-15 minutes.
- The syrup should be clear and bubbling. Remove it from the heat and quickly dip each fruit skewer into the hot sugar syrup. Make sure each is fully coated.
- Allow any excess syrup to drip off. Submerge in Ice Water immediately for 1 minute each so the coating can cools and harden quickly. Remove and sit on parchment paper, enjoy immediately as coating will start to soften within 5 minutes.
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