Homemade Sweet Chestnut Paste (Crème de Marrons): A Luxurious Autumn Treat

 

Sweet Chestnut Paste (Creme de Marrons)

I was thrilled to be given several large bags of sweet chestnuts recently. I’d never prepared or cooked them before, and my only real experiences of tasting them were a paper cone of roasted chestnuts from a London street vendor years ago, and more recently in delicate French pastries near Bordeaux in 2025. There’s something wonderfully olde‑world about chestnuts - almost a medieval luxury - the kind of ingredient that seems straight from medieval European markets and times gone by.

In New Zealand, sweet chestnuts are unusual but can be found at rural or lifestyle properties. They tend to appear at farmers’ markets and specialty grocers from late March through May. They’re often overlooked simply because people aren’t quite sure what to do with them - they sure were a learning curve for me, too! But once you know how to prepare them, chestnuts become a fascinating ingredient forming the basis for both sweet and savory dishes.

A quick but important note: Make absolutely sure you’re working with sweet chestnuts, not horse chestnuts, which are toxic and should never be eaten. If you’re unsure, do a quick image search to compare.

Sweet chestnuts have a distinct pointed tip at one end, while horse chestnuts are rounded and smooth, without that little peak. The difference is easy to spot once you know what to look for.

🌰 Choosing and Preparing Fresh Chestnuts

Fresh chestnuts should feel heavy for their size, with glossy brown shells and no rattling when you shake them.

Before cooking, chestnuts need one essential step: scoring. Use a small sharp knife to cut a shallow X on the rounded side of each nut. This prevents them from exploding and makes peeling much easier.

You can cook chestnuts in several ways:

• Roasted: 200°C for 20–25 minutes until the shells curl back.

• Boiled: Simmer 15–20 minutes for softer, mash‑ready flesh.

• However you cook the nuts, be sure to peel them while they’re still warm; once cold, the inner skin clings stubbornly.

🍲 How to Use Chestnuts in Savory Cooking

Chestnuts have a mild, sweet, earthy flavour that works beautifully in cooler-weather dishes. They add body without heaviness, and a gentle sweetness that can be sweet or savory.

Some uses:

• Chestnut & mushroom stuffing for roast chicken

• Chunky chestnut and vegetable soup

• Stirred through sautéed Brussels sprouts with pancetta

• Folded into creamy mashed potatoes

• Added to slow‑cooked beef or lamb stews for richness

They’re also lovely simply tossed with butter, thyme, and a pinch of sea salt.

🍯 Making a Silky Sweet Chestnut Paste

If you’ve ever tasted French crème de marrons or the dessert known as Mont Blanc, you’ll know how addictive sweet chestnut paste can be. It’s nutty, velvety, and gently sweet - similar to Nutella, but not quite.

Making it at home is surprisingly simple:

• Cook and peel your chestnuts. Don't worry if the meat doesn't come out of the shells in one piece, scoop those bits out with a spoon into a separate bowl.

• Add to a blender with brown sugar, a ssplash of vanilla extract, and brown sugar and blitz until a paste is achieved. If too thick simply add a dash more milk.

The result is a glossy, spoonable paste that keeps well in the fridge and freezes beautifully.

Use it to fill crêpes, swirl through ice cream, sandwich between sponge layers, or simply enjoy by the spoonful. It’s one of those old‑fashioned treats that feels both humble and luxurious.

🍂 Why Chestnuts Are Worth the Effort

Chestnuts ask for a little time - the scoring, cooking, peeling - but if you're lucky enough to obtain some, they give back in flavour, texture, and a sense of seasonality that’s hard to find in supermarket‑standard produce.

Ingredients for Chestnut Paste

Sweet Chestnut Paste Recipe (Crème de Marrons)

Ingredients:

Approx 1 cup cooked, peeled chestnuts

1 tbsp soft brown sugar 

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract (high quality)

A good pinch of sea salt or salt flakes

Chestnut paste ingredients in blender

Method:

Place the chestnuts into a blender and blitz to fine crumbs. Add the salt, brown sugar, the vanilla essence, and a splash of milk (not all of it), then blend again until the mixture starts to come together. Check the taste and texture. If it feels too thick, add another small splash of milk. If you prefer it sweeter, add a little more brown sugar and blend again.

Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.