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Candied plums roasted in sugar, glossy and caramelized in their own ruby syrup on a parchment-lined sheet pan
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Roasted Plums (Candied, Just 2 Ingredients)
Prep Time
25 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 
Roasted plums made from Italian prune plums and sugar, nothing else. They candy in the oven until the cut sides turn dark and glossy in their own syrup.
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 80 kcal
Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin
Ingredients
  • 80 Italian prune plums Halved and pitted, about 5 lb (2.3 kg), enough to pack the sheet
  • 1 1/8 cup granulated sugar Divided, for three sprinklings
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or cardamom Optional
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Heat the oven to 325F and line a 16x21-inch rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
  2. Halve and pit 80 Italian prune plums and set them cut side up, packed tight in a single layer across the whole sheet.
  3. Sprinkle about a third of the sugar over the open faces and bake for 20 minutes.
  4. Pour the juice off into a small saucepan as soon as those 20 minutes are up. Do not leave it in the pan or the plums steam instead of caramelizing. (Note 1)
  5. Reduce that juice by half over medium heat until it thickens and coats a spoon, then set it aside.
  6. Add more sugar over the plums and keep baking, about 60 minutes total from the time the pan went in. (Note 2)
  7. Sugar the plums lightly one last time for the final 10 minutes, adding the spice now if you are using it, then turn the oven up to 450F for the last 5 so the tops caramelize.
  8. Cool them on the pan, stir any late juices into the reduced syrup, then spoon the plums into jars and pour the syrup over. Makes about 3 pint jars. (Note 3)
Recipe Notes
  1. Draining: the plums give up most of their liquid in the first 20 minutes. Pour it off then, not at the end, or they poach instead of browning.
  2. Judging doneness: go by the plums rather than the clock. They want to be soft with lightly caramelized tops before the final 450F blast.
  3. Storing: keep them covered in syrup in the fridge up to 3 weeks, or freeze up to 6 months. For the pantry, pack them hot into clean, hot jars with 1/2-inch headspace and water-bath pints 20 minutes or quarts 25 minutes up to 1,000 feet; add time at higher altitudes (full chart in the post above). If you run short on syrup, top up with a light syrup of 1 1/4 cups sugar boiled with 5 1/2 cups water.
  4. Plum variety: Italian prune plums hold their shape best. Round plums carry more water, so pour off more juice and add 10 to 15 minutes.
  5. Sugar: you can cut it by about a quarter for a tarter, looser result. Much below that and there is not enough to draw the juice out or set a syrup.
Nutrition Facts
Roasted Plums (Candied, Just 2 Ingredients)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 80 Calories from Fat 2
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.2g0%
Potassium 150mg4%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 19g21%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin C 9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.