Pumpkin Candy Recipes
 

Pumpkin candy makes a great Mexican dessert.

You don't have to wait for Halloween to try this recipe - it's a good treat all year round.

Mexican Pumpkin Candy

Makes 2 pounds

Directions

Cut pumpkin into 1 inch x 1-1/2 inch cubes, place in a saucepan, and add approximately 2-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is just tender.

Remove the pumpkin with a slotted spoon. There should be about 1-1/2 cups of liquid remaining. Add the brown or maple sugar and dissolve over low heat. Place the pumpkin pieces back in the pan and bring slowly back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Let the pumpkin pieces stand in the syrup overnight.

On the following day, bring the mixture back to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pumpkin pieces from the syrup and spread them out on a wire rack so that they are not touching each another. Let stand in a warm place or in a 140 degree F oven for 3 to 4 hours to dry.

Roll each piece in the maple or raw sugar, and store in a cool, dry place.

Candied Pumpkin

Ingredients

Directions

First make a simple syrup of 2/3 cup of granulated sugar for each cup of cold water.  Add several cinnamon sticks and several slices of fresh ginger to taste.  Bring this to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Prepare fresh pumpkin by cleaning and pealing as usual then cutting into chunks about 1/2 inch by 1 inch by 2 inches.  Drop these into lightly salted boiling water and par boil for about 2 minutes only. 

Cool immediately in cold water.  Then add to the syrup, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes only.  Turn off the heat and allow to sit over night. 

The next day simmer for another 5 minutes, and leave overnight again.  Continue to do this until the chunks of pumpkin are covered with a thick syrup and are glossy and translucent.  Remove to wire racks and allow to air dry. 

Then roll in granulated sugar and store in an air tight container.  If you have a dehydrator you may hasten the drying process by putting the pumpkin in it for a few hours.  Remove while the surface of the pumpkin is still tacky enough to pick up some of the sugar.

If you would prefer to have pumpkin preserves instead of candy, omit the drying and pack the cooked pumpkin into a jar and pour any remaining syrup over them.  Candied pumpkin will keep for several months without processing.

Dulce de Calabaza En Tacha

Pumpkin Cooked In Brown Sugar