Air-Fry Chestnuts For A Quick And Easy Holiday Snack

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." you know the rest. 'Tis the season for indulging in chestnuts, one of the most festive staples of the holiday season. Like eggnog and gingerbread, chestnuts make their way into the homes of many to be enjoyed while spending time with family and friends. While you may not be using an open fire to roast your chestnuts, you'll probably utilize your oven, one of the most overworked kitchen appliances of the season. Yet, if you're the proud owner of an air fryer, you can effortlessly roast chestnuts for a swift and delightful holiday snack that's sure to be loved by all.

While it won't save you time from having to prep your chestnuts, the air fryer will cook them a lot faster than your convection oven would. Once the chestnuts are ready, it's as simple as loading them into the air fryer and heating them up. Before you know it, you'll be crunching away on a variety of air-fried chestnut treats.

When you prep your chestnuts, you may want to soak them; however, scoring them with a knife will get them ready for the air fryer much sooner. If you need to preheat your air fryer, now is a good time. Set it to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. While it heats up, take a knife and slice each chestnut across its softer side, which is where the more rounded portion will be. This will allow steam to escape and will make them easier to peel. Once you've scored them, and once the air fryer is at the right temperature, toss them into the basket. Next, set the timer for 10 minutes.

When they're done, they'll be very hot, so pour them into a bowl to let them cool. After about five minutes, you'll be able to start peeling back the edges you scored. Once you pop them out of their shells, dust them with some sea salt to enhance their sweet and buttery flavor.

You'll be delighted to know there's lots of recipes where your chestnuts can become the highlight of dessert. You can use your air-fried chestnuts to make marron glacé (candied chestnuts in English). You'll love the taste of your air-fried chestnuts with spicy cinnamon, or an earthy nutmeg powder sprinkled over a maple syrup glaze. If you love these, you may want to take it one step further and make a candied chestnut pound cake. Savor the delightful sweetness of a fluffy vanilla pound cake enriched with the vibrant essence of candied chestnuts.

If you like both chestnuts and chocolate, then you'll have to try making some chestnuts dipped in chocolate. Simply take your air-fried chestnuts and dip them into a chocolate mixture of your choice. The chocolate will become a new shell for your chestnuts, however, this one you won't want to peel off. You'll enjoy its taste more than ever as you get the chestnuts' crunchy texture and the warmth of the chocolate in one bite. If you really feel like going for a deep dive into chestnut-ville, you can try making a chestnut puree which can be used in many more chestnut desserts such as chestnut brownies and chocolate chestnut cake. There you are, folks. These tips should get you started on making the most delicious chestnut treats this holiday season.