Candied Chanterelles Mushrooms from the Forest

When I first saw someone making candied chanterelles in a Facebook group, I was interested, hopeful, but somewhat dubious. The fact that they were candied was cool, but the missing piece of information really was, “do they actually taste good?” And “what do they taste like?”. Of course, I had to try it for myself and find out, and I’m back with answers. Candied chanterelles are sweet, earthy, and have a bit of a cinnamon-like flavor that we’ve reinforced with a pinch of added cinnamon. They are delicate, and the flavor is not overwhelmingly mushroom. There are notes that remind me of warming spices, tea, and somehow of a warm summer forest floor (not in taste, but in essence). The texture varies a little in every mushroom, but it ranges from slightly chewy, to brittle or crunchy. And yes, they are good. In some ways they capture more of the uniqueness of chanterelle mushrooms than a savory recipe would. But don’t take my word for it- if you’ve got chanterelles, grab some sugar and a pot and let’s make candy.

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How to Forage Chanterelles

Chanterelle mushrooms have a bit of a bourgeois reputation. They have been widely embraced by high-end chefs, they aren’t grown commercially and therefore carry with them a big ol’ price tag. Fortunately, if you know where to look, you can find chanterelles around most parts of the world at the cost of only your time. Please note that white chanterelles do grow across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Central America, my foraging expertise is really only applicable in North America. In other areas of the world there may be poisonous look-alikes or other foraging considerations that I am not privy to, so please  do research accordingly.

Disclaimer- use caution when foraging wild edibles, and always be certain of your identification. While I assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information provided on this site, I can’t be responsible for the accuracy of your information. Consult multiple websites, books and local experts, and when it doubt, do without.

Chanterelles first appear around July, and will often last as late as November. They will grow in the same places year after year, so if you find a good spot make sure to make a note for next year. Chanterelle mushrooms grow in dirt, not wood, typically singly but in close proximity with other mushrooms. Most chanterelles are a golden color, but the more experienced chanterelle forager may have picked up that I used cinnabar chanterelles (aka red chanterelles) in this recipe. They are smaller than most other types of chanterelle, but very distinctive due to their traffic cone orange color.

Chanterelles like moist dirt, and are most likely to sprout about 4 days after rain (although they can be frustratingly unpredictable when your best spot is half an hour’s drive). Different species of chanterelles prefer different sorts of trees, which ultimately means they can be found many different places, but wet earth really is key. I find them most often in areas with small streams a few feet away.

There are some poisonous mushrooms that look similar to certain species of chanterelle, so making a positive identification is vital. The key identifying factor in most cases comes down to the gills (well, not really gills). Chanterelles have false gills, which once you learn to recognize them are incredibly helpful but can take some time to recognize. Rather than being independent gills, they are more like ridges or folds on the undersides of the caps going down the stalk. It helps me most to think about tearing off the gills- in a true gilled mushroom, like a shiitake, you could pull off the gills and still have a hearty cap. In a chanterelle, the gills are part of the cap so tearing them off would only rip through the mushroom.

The most concerning lookalike for chanterelles are small jack-o-lantern mushrooms. Importantly, jack-o-lanterns have true gills, grow on wood (although sometimes buried wood), and tend to be clustered. For more information on chanterelle types and lookalikes, you can read this article.

Got Foraged Mushrooms? Try one of these!

• Shrimp of the Woods Recipes
• Lion’s Mane Recipes
• Black Trumpet Recipes
• Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Recipes
• Oyster Mushroom Recipes
• Chicken of the Woods Recipes
• Morel Mushroom Recipes
• Porcini (Bolete) Recipes
• Wood Ear Recipes

Looking for Sweet Mushrooms? Try one of these!

• Chocolate Coated Cranberry Wood Ear Mushrooms
• Forest Floor Vegan Meringue Mushrooms Cookies (admittedly, these aren’t real mushrooms…)
• Beet and Mushroom Fudge Brownies (external link)
• Pear and Candy Cap Mushroom Cake (external link)
• Salted Pecan and Candy Cap Sables (external link, will need to sub vegan butter)

How to Make Candied Chatarelles Mushrooms

Making candied mushrooms is basically the same as making candied fruit. The general idea is that you are going to be simmering your mushrooms in a sugar solution, which will slowly add enough sugar to the mushrooms to preserve them and stop microbial growth. Afterwards the mushrooms are gently dried to remove excess moisture.

This recipe uses one cup of chanterelle mushrooms, but can be scaled up or down depending on the amount of mushrooms you’ve managed to forage. Make sure you clean them well, and pat them dry gently so that you’re not adding too much water.

The sugar solution is made up of equal parts water and sugar (in this case we used the same amount as the mushrooms, so it’s just a 1:1:1 ratio). The only other ingredient used is a pinch of cinnamon. Just the tiniest amount adds to the earthy flavor of the chanterelle, but be careful because too much will take over. Simmer the mushrooms in the syrup for about 30 minutes. You don’t want the heat too high, as you don’t want to fry the chanterelles, you just want to use the heat to gently encourage the sugar into the mushrooms. As they simmer, the mushrooms will reduce in size, become more pliable, and turn slightly translucent. After about half an hour you can strain the mushrooms from the syrup. Keep the syrup and use it in cocktails, coffee, ice cream, and more. Dry your candied chanterelles in the oven on the lowest temperature, or in a food dehydrator if you have one. Throw your mushrooms in an airtight container, along with a spoonful of sugar to prevent sticking, and enjoy your candied mushrooms.

Candied Chanterelles Mushrooms from the Forest

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