“When I went to candy my own fruit for holiday baking, the cherries came out great the first time. These pineapple slices were a bit more work to figure out, but I think I’ve finally got it! I like to do one batch without any coloring and another using green food coloring, so that when I add my pineapple to the cherries in Fruit Cakes I have that nice mixture of red, yellow and green candied jewels.” – April Ferre
Candied Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1 20-Ounce Can Pineapple Slices in Heavy Syrup
- 1 1/4 Cup Sugar Plus Extra for Coating
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
- A Few Drops Food Coloring Optional
Instructions
- Drain pineapple slices, reserving syrup. Measure syrup. You should have at least 3/4 cup, if not, add water to make up the difference.
- In a wide, medium saucepan, combine pineapple syrup, sugar and corn syrup. Add a few drops food coloring, if desired. Place saucepan over medium heat and mix well until sugar has dissolved.
- Continue to heat until the mixture boils. Boil 2 minutes and then carefully add pineapple slices. Try to spread them out as much as possible so that they are covered in liquid.
- Return the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to somewhere between a slow boil and a simmer. Cook for about 40 minutes or until the liquid reaches 235 degrees (soft ball stage.) Carefully stir the pineapple slices every 10 minutes to ensure they are all evenly cooked.
- During the last 10 minutes, preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil and place a wire rack on top.
- Once the liquid reach soft ball stage, the pineapple slices should be fairly transparent around the edges. Remove the slices to the prepared wire rack and place in the oven to dry.
- Dry pineapple slices for approximately 2 hours, flipping the slices every 30 minutes. The pineapple slices should be mostly transparent and firm to the touch. They should not be wet, but may still be slightly sticky.
- Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
- Once the pineapple slices are completely cool, dust them in sugar. Place the sugared slices on a clean wire rack and let sit 24 hours at room temperature.
- Check that the slices are not wet. If they are still dry, store in an airtight container.
- If they are wet, you didn't dry them long enough in the oven. Return them to a 200 degree oven and dry again for another 30 minutes. Cool and coat with sugar and allow to sit again overnight.
- Makes approximately 10 candied pineapple slices or 8 ounces. Recipe may be doubled.
Notes
This was developed specifically for pineapple slices which are fairly thin, do not use pineapple chunks as they will not cook through to the middle. If you must use pineapple chunks (not recommended as it would be a lot of work to dry them), slice them in half lengthwise.
You can also use a food dehydrator set to its highest setting to dry your pineapple slices, but it will take longer.
2025 Recipe – April Ferre
