Crème de Marrons

Name: Crème de Marrons
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 210g chestnuts / 340g chestnuts with shell; 150ml oat milk; 0,5 piece of real vanilla pod; 3 dates (Medijool); 25ml rapeseed oil

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The snack is served on a green wooden table: a loaf of bread with créme de marrons. The bread lies on a brown plate. Behind is cup of coffee and a preserving jar with the créme de marrons. Further in the background is a flat wooden bowl with a sliced loaf of bread and a orange linen kitchen towel. Scattered around everything are fresh chestnuts in shells.

Crème de marrons is a classic French chestnut spread that captures the essence of autumn in every spoonful. With its sweet, nutty flavor and creamy texture, crème de marrons is perfect for spreading on bread (maybe even with our chestnut bread). Chestnuts are naturally sweet, which we will enhance with a few dates. Also, we’ll refine the puree with vanilla – a real treat! The chestnuts are also high in fiber, and low in fat and calories, but they will keep you full for a long time. So, go out and gather some chestnuts if in season, or buy them pre-cooked at the store and make our simple, delicious chestnut cream. You can also combine it with desserts such as ice cream, pancakes, and crêpes, or use it in cakes.

Ingredients for making Crème de Marrons:

The ingredients for crème de marrons are laid out on a green wooden table. In the foreground is a glass of rapeseed oil, a vanilla pod and a small plate of dates. Behind them are an orange plate with already cooked chestnuts, a glass jug of oat milk and an orange kitchen towel. Fresh chestnuts are scattered around the scene.

Chestnuts
Oat milk
Real vanilla pod
Dates (Medjool)
Rapeseed oil

Needed Equipment:

Hand blender
4 x 100ml preservation jars

This recipe yields 400ml of chestnut spread, which I canned in two 200ml jars. Next time, I would use smaller jars because once opened, the cream only lasts about one week in the fridge.

How to make Crème de Marrons:

Let’s start with the chestnuts. Do you have fresh ones? Then we need to get their delicious meat out of their shells.

A close look at two hands holding an edible chestnut with one hand and scoring the chestnut with the other using a large serrated knife. The chestnut lies on a wooden kitchen board.

For these spreads, I like to boil the fresh chestnuts in a saucepan until they are soft (mine took 30 minutes). Drain the water and leave the chestnuts to cool briefly, then take each one individually, cut it in half, and scrape them out with a teaspoon. You can always use this quick method if you do not need whole chestnuts for further processing.

Cooking the Crème de Marrons:

If you have bought pre-cooked chestnuts like I did, take them and cut them into rough pieces. Next, pit and chop the dates. Then, take the precious vanilla pod, slit it open lengthwise, and scrape out the vanilla pulp.

A wooden cutting board lies on a green wooden table with dates. Hands are holding a huge knife and chop the chestnuts.

A wooden cutting board lies on a green wooden table with dates. Hands are removing the pit and chopping the date. In the background is a small bowl of chopped dates.

After these preparations, place the chestnuts, empty vanilla pod, vanilla pulp and dates in a pan, add oat milk and rapeseed oil and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.

A wooden cutting board lies on a green wooden table with a stainless steel pot on top. In the pot is the mixture of ingredients for créme de marrons. One hand add vanilla pod to the pot.

Now, it’s time to puree, but don’t forget to remove the vanilla pod from the cooked mixture beforehand. Blend everything with a hand blender until it is creamy. Simple as that. The delicious cream is ready!

A wooden cutting board lies on a green wooden table with a stainless steel pot on top. In the pot is the freshly cooked mixture for créme de marrons.

A wooden cutting board lies on a green wooden table with a stainless steel pot on top. A hand with a kitchen tongs removes the vanilla pod from the freshly cooked mixture for créme de marrons.

Storage:

Do you want to make the cream in advance and store it in jars? Before filling, the jars and lids must be disinfected with hot water, even if they appear clean. I recommend using small jars and not filling them all the way — then you can freeze them. It is best to reheat the cream after pureeing and pour it hot into the jars. Before closing with the lid, wipe the edges with kitchen paper to ensure that no residue sticks to the rim or the screw thread. The spread should last at least a week if stored in the fridge. I have stored jars in the freezer, which should last over a month. Make sure to fill them only up to 3/4 if freezing them! Once a jar is opened, it should be kept in the refrigerator and consumed within a week.

I hope you enjoyed this crème de marrons recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

How can I tell if the spread is still good?

While I don’t have a strict best-before date, I’d recommend using all your senses to check if the spread is still good:
Look: Check the surface to see if it still looks the same as when you put it in the jar. If you notice anything growing, discard the entire jar.
Smell: If the spread has gone bad, it will have an unpleasant smell.
Taste: As a final precaution, try a small amount with the tip of a knife. Your tongue will tell you if it’s still delicious.

The snack is served on a green wooden table: a loaf of bread with créme de marrons. The bread is on a brown plate. Behind it is a jar of créme de marrons. A label on the jar reads "Chestnut sweet. In the background is a flat wooden bowl with a sliced loaf of bread and an orange linen kitchen towel. Scattered around are fresh chestnuts in their shells.

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Print Recipe

Crème de marrons is a French chestnut spread, perfect enjoying on a slice of bread. With its sweet, nutty flavor and creamy texture, this one is a real treat!

Total Time: 30 Minutes
Yield: 400ml 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

210g chestnuts / 340g chestnuts with shell
150ml oat milk
0,5 piece of real vanilla pod
3 dates (Medijool)
25ml rapeseed oil

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Instructions

Prepare the collected chestnuts:

If you have bought packaged chestnuts, you can skip this step.
Boil the fresh chestnuts in a saucepan until they are soft (mine took 30 minutes).
Drain the water, leave the chestnuts to cool, then take each one in turn, cut them in half and scrap the nuts out with a teaspoon.

Cook the chestnut spread:

If you have bought pre-cooked chestnuts, cut them into rough pieces.
Pit and chop the dates.
Slit the vanilla pod open lengthwise, and scrape out the vanilla pulp.
Place the chestnuts, empty vanilla pod, vanilla pulp and dates in a pan, add oat milk and rapeseed oil and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes.
Remove the vanilla pod from the cooked mixture.
Blend everything with a hand blender until it is creamy.

Notes

The spread should be consumed within a week if opened and stored in the fridge.
I froze some of the spread, which worked fantastic for storing it for longer.

Author: Tanja
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Category: Spread
Method: Cooking
Cuisine: International
Diet: Vegan

Crème de Marrons