Candied kumquats are both sweet and tart with another layer of flavor added by the rich chocolate. If you want to take it even further, sprinkle a pinch of large grained salt on the chocolate.
It is kumquat season and one of my neighbors was giving away the small little fruit from her tree.
I’ve been seeing kumquat trees everywhere and I was drawn to them. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some!
Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity for organic fruit right from the tree.
I admit I was a little overzealous and picked five pounds worth! But as luck would have it, yesterday was Tu BiShvat.
In case you’ve never heard of Tu BiShvat, it is new years for the trees, so people often plant trees or flowers or eat dried and candied fruit and nuts.
So, in honor of this, I decided to make these little treats.
To my surprise, I found that they tasted a lot like chocolate covered candied orange peels, which I had been craving.
I’ll be honest, this recipe takes a while, but it is easy.
So, if you have some free time and love things sweet and sour, you should give these candied kumquats a try!
If you’ve never heard of kumquats, you are not alone!
The first time I ever tasted a kumquat was last winter.
I was surprised to find that it has a sweet skin but a super sour inside and I figured that I had just never noticed them.
Then, this week, I showed a friend all of my fresh picked kumquats and she didn’t know what they were either. So, I decided to do a little research.
Apparently, Kumquats are from Asia, which explains why most of the recipes I found were in Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese.
This also explains the unusual name which comes from gām-gwāt, which is Cantonese for golden orange.
Fun fact: the Hebrew term for kumquat is תפוז סיני (tapouz sini) meaning Chinese orange!
Chocolate Dipped Candied Kumquats Tip:
Save the simple syrup left from the kumquats. It is great to sweeten tea, flavor sparkling water, drizzled on cake, and mixed into dressings and marinades.
Chocolate Covered Candied Kumquats
This is a great recipe for when you have an abundance of kumquats.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Kumquats (450 grams)
- 1/2 cup white sugar (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup water (120 milliliters)
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, dairy free (110 grams)
Instructions
- Cut the kumquats in half. Remove any visible seeds.
- Boil the kumquats in water for a few minutes to remove the tart flavor. Then, drain and repeat two more times.
- Mix the water and sugar in a pot and heat to create simple syrup.
- Add the kumquats to the syrup and boil for five minutes. Then, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
- Remove the kumquats from the syrup and place on a baking sheet topped with wax paper. Bake at 250°F or 120°C for roughly 2.5 hours until the kumquats are dry or at most, slightly tacky.
- Once the kumquats are cooled, melt the chocolate and dip the kumquats into it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 166Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 10mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 5gSugar: 25gProtein: 2g
Adela Sivewright
Thursday 3rd of November 2022
I made the chocolate cumquats, yum! I didn't halve and remove seeds so they were a bit chewy =) bit it didn't detract from the lovely sweet and tangy taste
ElissaBeth
Friday 4th of November 2022
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed them :)
Susan Zitsman
Tuesday 7th of April 2020
Very good recipe! Now I know what to do with all of those kumquats!! The simple syrup itup was great!
ElissaBeth
Tuesday 7th of April 2020
I'm glad you liked it!
rohit aggarwal
Thursday 19th of December 2019
thank you thetasteofkosher for giving me wonderful information
ElissaBeth
Thursday 19th of December 2019
It's my pleasure!