These homemade candied cherries (glacé cherries) are so much better than the ones you find at the store. They’re also easy to make, healthier, and perfect for so many British baked goods!
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Before I share a classic Scottish bakery recipe called Empire Biscuits (I’ve since posted the recipe)!
I want you to have the option to make these candied or glacé cherries. They are a significant part of the biscuits looking like the genuine thing, so you have an option instead of having to buy a chemical-laden version.
Here’s an example of the ingredient list of a typical candied cherry product here in the US:
- Cherries, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Water, Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (preservatives), FD&C Red #40, Sulfur dioxide (preservative).
No thank you! Besides the two types of corn syrup, how many of the other ingredients are actually natural? Not many!
In fact, many vintage and classic British recipes include glacé cherries. Take a look at how many of the desserts include candied cherries in the center of this old Scottish cookbook.
I slightly adapted a King Arthur recipe for these after finding some natural Maraschino cherries to make them with. It’s really nice to have options!
Homemade Candied Cherries
(Homemade Glacé Cherries)
slightly adapted from a King Arthur recipe
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Put the juice and sugar in a heavy bottom pot and bring to a simmer (without stirring, just swirl the pot) for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the cherries and continue to simmer slowly for about 45 minutes, turning now and then.
They will start to wrinkle and begin to look like candied cherries.
When it gets to the 45 minute mark, use a candy thermometer to check the liquid. It should reach the soft ball stage (about 237°F/113°C).
Remove from the heat and place on a tray. I used a silicone mat with good results.
Use them as desired, keeping the extras in a sealed container in the refrigerator (they should last over 6 months if they have been candied properly).
You can add candied cherries to lots of different fruit cakes, for example, this Scottish tea bread.
And this last minute Christmas cake from my friend, Janice, at Farmersgirl Kitchen.
Homemade Candied Cherries (Glacé Cherries)
Homemade candied/glacé cherries.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (in the UK, 16 oz of the cherries measured in a measuring jug) natural Maraschino cherries, drained
- 3/4 cup (6 oz) sugar
- 1/3 cup (2.5 oz) juice from the cherries
Instructions
- Put the juice and sugar in a heavy bottom pot and bring to a simmer (without stirring, just swirl the pot) for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the cherries and continue to simmer slowly for about 45 minutes, turning now and then.
- They will start to wrinkle and begin to look like candied cherries.
- When it gets to the 45 minute mark, use a candy thermometer to check the liquid. It should reach the soft ball stage (about 237°F/113°C).
- Remove from the heat and place on a tray. I used a silicone mat with good results.
- Use them as desired, keeping the extras in a sealed container in the refrigerator (they should last over 6 months if they have been candied properly)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 50 Serving Size: 1 cherryAmount Per Serving:Calories: 18Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 0g
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I make fruit cakes at Christmas from an old family recipe. Cannot wait to make these cherries for my cakes. Could I candy pineapple the same way? I use pineapple in the cakes too. Any thoughts. I am so happy I found you. Thanks
Hi Karen, these will be perfect in your fruit cakes! Regarding the pineapple, I would hesitate in offering advice. It’s such a different fruit and so full of liquid, I’m just not sure. I wonder if they dehydrate it first and then candy it? Sorry I can’t be more helpful on that question! :(
My cherries turned out amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe. Now I’m wondering what I can do with the leftover thickened cherry juice. Any ideas?
Happy to hear it, Sandy! I know, that’s something I have yet to figure out, what to do with the leftover juice!
Pancake syrup, crumpet jam or stirred in a plain yoghurt…yum
Ooh great ideas, Serena! Thanks!
Hello! Can I ask where and how do you get the extra cherry juice from? Do you blend the fresh cherries and filter out the bits to get the liquidy parts?
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Certainly helpful when glazed cherries seem hard to find in the market but we are surrounded by fresh ones!
The liquid from the cherries I bought. I haven’t tried with fresh cherries, but I think that would be an option (making cherry juice) with water, too.
Completely burned on simmer after 30 minutes.
I’m confused how you could burn the cherries. You must have left them unattended which is inadvisable when cooking anything on a burner. Also, there was either not enough liquid or they were not simmering as they simply couldn’t burn dry in 30 minutes.
Mine burned, too. It’s my first time making them, so I wasn’t 100% sure what they were supposed to look like and kept simmering/turning them for about 40 minutes (even once I suspected something might not be right), but afterward they were hard as rocks and had a burnt sugar smell. Obviously other people do this with success, so it was probably user error and I’m going to try again today, but yes, it’s definitely possible to burn/overcook these, even when being vigilant by the stove! I kept it at a simmer, but didn’t use a thermometer – hopefully that’s where I went wrong. Here’s hoping today’s attempt yields better results! Haha
Hi Jessica, if you’re being vigilant by the stove, you have to remove the pot or add more liquid when it dries up before allowing the contents to burn. Not sure what else to advise, so good luck!
The newer flat burner/glass top stoves are quite hot and I’ve had to pay closer attention when making jam and cooking several things. Quite possibly these recipe users were working with this type of stove. My suggestion is to try a lower temperature burner than you think you would need and/or keep a close eye on your candy thermometer as well as watch for any sign of caramelization of the liquid. Good luck in future trials.
Good tip, Winnie, thanks. The key is really watching what you have on the stove and being attentive.
Mine came to 237 degrees on a very low simmer in only about 15 minutes. I had two kettles cooking simultaneously because I did red and green. Both got to soft ball temperature at the same time. I just removed them from the burner at that point and transferred them to parchment paper with a mini tongs. I did watch them continuously while I did other things in the kitchen and swirled them in the pot quite frequently. They are very pretty.
All sounds quite civilized, Geri. Thank you, and glad they turned out well :)
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I don’t see why fresh cherries couldn’t be used. The boring part would be taking the stones (seeds) out but maybe cook them for a little longer just to be sure, and use them within a few days. I have made candied peel from oranges and they store ok in an airtight jar. I add them to my Christmas cake mix and they have so much more flavour than the bought ones.
I would imagine that cherries are similar. It would be great to have cakes with as many home-made ingredients as possible, just like they did centuries ago.
Oh heck yes!
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Thanks very much for the recipe. I was wondering how long we should let the candied cherries stand, when on parchment (step 5), before jarring them? I assume they are not meant to dry and harden (crystalise), as in the case of candied peel?
Correct, Jeremy. Just until the cool to room temperature, so not too long at all, maybe 1/2 hr? They will still be a little sticky (as is the nature of glacé cherries.) Enjoy!