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This candy combines the natural sweetness of Chinese dates, the crunch of nuts, and toasted sesame seeds with a pop of red color from goji berries. It has a pleasant chewy texture with mild sweetness.
What is Chinese red date walnut candy?
This candy is often enjoyed as a snack, dessert, or even given as a homemade gift during festive occasions or celebrations like Chinese New Year. The combination of natural sweetness, nuttiness, and chewy texture makes it a popular treat in Chinese cuisine. This candy is often made by mixing finely chopped red dates and walnuts with a sweet syrup, resulting in a chewy and flavorful treat.
Ingredients and substitutions
1. Chinese dates
This candy is usually prepared using red jujube/dates, but you can mix in some black jujube too. The color of the candy will turn out darker if you add some black jujube
2. Nuts
Walnuts are traditionally used to prepare this candy, but you can use other nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, pistachio, or combinations of any. I used walnuts and almonds
3. Goji berries
Goji berries are not traditionally used, but I like the pop of red color in the candy and the slightly chewy texture is great in this candy too
4. Toasted black sesame seeds
I used a combination of toasted black and white sesame seeds for a bit of visual contrast
5. Maltose
Is maltose necessary in making this candy ? Yes, maltose is necessary to prepare this candy. Some said it can be replaced with honey, but I haven’t tried that myself, so I can’t tell you how it would turn out in terms of texture. Maltose is only half the sweetness of regular table sugar, but honey is much sweeter than table sugar. So you need to keep this in mind as it may make the candy turns out too sweet.
Maltose also gives this candy its unique smooth and chewy texture. The addition of maltose also prevents crystallization and retains moisture so the candy remains soft and chewy. Where can I get maltose? It is widely available in Asian grocery store.
6. Tapioca starch
Tapioca starch is added to help thicken the paste
Chinese Red Date/Jujube Walnut Candy
Ingredients
- 300 g Chinese red dates
- 250 g water to blend with the red dates
- 30 g brown sugar optional
- 300 g walnuts toasted, or combination of nuts of your choice
- 80 g toasted black sesame seeds
- 50 g goji berries
- 200 g maltose
Tapioca slurry:
- 35 g tapioca starch
- 35 g water
Instructions
- Toast the walnuts on a dry pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until they smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from the heat and let them cool down when you prepare other things
- Maltose is difficult to scoop out when it's at cool room temperature. You can put the container in a bowl of warm water and the maltose will soften and easier to scoop. Oil the spoon or use a non-stick spray to coat the spoon and the maltose won't stick to the spoon when you scoop it
- Line a 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper sling. If you don’t have a pan, you can skip this
Prepare the red dates:
- Rinse the red dates clean with water. Put them in a heat-proof plate and steam over medium heat for 20 minutes
- I use large dates and so I use a large straw to push the pits out. If you use small dates, you can use a small straw. It's very easy to remove the pits this way. Alternatively, you can always cut the dates and remove the pit
- Put the pitted dates and 250 g water in a blender. Try not to add too much water. The more water you add, the longer you have to cook it later to evaporate the water. Blend into a smooth paste. Strain the mixture if necessary
Cook the paste:
- Combine tapioca starch with water to make a slurry
- Transfer the paste to a large non-stick pan. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes and then add maltose and keep stirring until all the maltose has melted and the mixture starts to bubble. Stir the tapioca slurry and then pour 1/3 of the mixture into the paste as you stir. The mixture starts to thicken a bit, add the next 1/3 while stirring again. Then the last 1/3 of the tapioca slurry and keep stirring
- Continue to cook until the mixture has reduced and formed a dough and when you fold it, it holds its shape. It may take 30-45 minutes to reach this stage. It's important to cook to this stage. If it's not cooked long enough, the candy will turn out too soft and mushy
- Add the toasted walnuts or any nuts you use, goji berries, and black sesame seeds into the paste and stir to combine everything evenly. All the dry ingredients need to be coated by the paste. Remove from the heat
Shaping:
- Transfer the mixture to a prepared pan. It's an extremely sticky mixture at this point. Cover the top with parchment paper and then use your palm to apply pressure to pack down the mixture. Use a rolling pin to roll or any flat-bottom pan to press on the surface to pack it down. The paste should fill up the pan corner to corner
- If you don't use a pan, transfer to a piece of large parchment paper. Cover with another piece of large parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten it to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Use a bench scraper to help you shape it into a square or rectangle shape
Chill:
- Transfer the pan to the refrigerator and let it chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours. It's hard to cut when it's not firm enough
Cutting:
- Once the candy is chilled, it's easier to cut into size as it won't stick to the touch. Oil your knife before cutting for cleaner cut. You can cut into 60 small pieces, or 30 larger pieces
- If you choose to wrap, use edible rice papers (which was how I remember they were wrapped in when I was a kid). I didn't have any, so I didn't wrap mine
Storage:
- Transfer them to an air-tight container and keep them in the fridge for up to one week. They can be kept frozen for up to one month. You will notice that this candy won't freeze in the freezer because of maltose. It maintain its firm but pliable texture
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
How to make Chinese red date walnut candy
1. Toast the nuts on a dry pan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until they smell nutty and fragrant. Remove from the heat and let them cool down when you prepare other things
2. Maltose is difficult to scoop out when it’s at cool room temperature. You can put the container in a bowl of warm water and the maltose will soften and easier to scoop. Oil the spoon or use a non-stick spray to coat the spoon and the maltose won’t stick to the spoon when you scoop it
3. Line a 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper sling. If you don’t have a pan, you can skip this
4. Rinse the red dates clean with water. Put them in a heat-proof plate and steam over medium heat for 20 minutes
5. I use large dates and so I use a large straw to push the pits out. If you use small dates, you can use a small straw. It’s very easy to remove the pits this way. Alternatively, you can always cut the dates and remove the pit
6. Put the pitted dates and 250 g water in a blender. Try not to add too much water. The more water you add, the longer you have to cook it later to evaporate the water. Blend into a smooth paste. Strain the mixture if necessary
7. Combine tapioca starch with water to make a slurry
8. Transfer the paste to a large non-stick pan. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes and then add maltose and keep stirring until all the maltose has melted and the mixture starts to bubble. 
9. Stir the tapioca slurry and then pour 1/3 of the mixture into the paste as you stir. The mixture starts to thicken a bit, add the next 1/3 while stirring again. Then the last 1/3 of the tapioca slurry and keep stirring. Continue to cook until the mixture has reduced and formed a dough and when you fold it, it holds its shape. It may take 30-45 minutes to reach this stage. It’s important to cook to this stage. If it’s not cooked long enough, the candy will turn out too soft and mushy
10. Add the toasted walnuts or any nuts you use, goji berries, and black sesame seeds into the paste and stir to combine everything evenly. All the dry ingredients need to be coated by the paste. Remove from the heat
11. Transfer the mixture to a prepared pan. It’s an extremely sticky mixture at this point. Cover the top with parchment paper and then use your palm to apply pressure to pack down the mixture. Use a rolling pin to roll or any flat-bottom pan to press on the surface to pack it down. The paste should fill up the pan corner to corner if you use a pan
12. If you don’t use a pan, transfer to a piece of large parchment paper. Cover with another piece of large parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to flatten it to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thickness. Use a bench scraper to help you shape it into a square or rectangle shape
13. Transfer to the refrigerator and let it chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours. It’s hard to cut when it’s not firm enough. Once the candy is chilled, it’s easier to cut into size as it won’t stick to the touch. Oil your knife before cutting for a cleaner cut. You can cut into 60 small pieces, or 30 larger pieces
Tips for success
1. Use a non-stick pan. It’s a very sticky paste to start with
2. Do not add too much water when you blend the dates. The more water you add, the longer you have to cook off the water
3. It is important to cook the paste to the consistency like a dough that holds its shape when you fold it
4. Make sure to chill the candy in the fridge for at least 12 hours before attempting to cut
Did you make this Chinese red date walnut candy recipe?
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