Karyoka

Karyoka are rich and delicious Turkish confections for the holiday season. They are made of a creamy, earthy chestnut puree coated with dark chocolate and sprinkled with ground pistachios. Try making them from fresh chestnuts when in season, or you can use vacuum-packed chestnuts from the stores if you, like me, can’t be bothered with the extra step. I have used coconut sugar to sweeten the chestnut puree for the deeper caramel and butterscotch tones, but feel free to use regular sugar.

adapted from The Spruce Eats


250 g Vacuum-packed roasted chestnuts ©angiesrecipes 120 ml Heavy cream 1-2 tbsp Coconut sugar 180 g Dark couverture chocolate 2 tbsp Finely ground pistachios, for garnishing

Place the vacuum packed roasted chestnuts, heavy cream and coconut sugar in a saucepan and boil for about 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced to about 4 tablespoons.
Transfer the chestnuts to a food processor with 2 tablespoons of cream and process until well blended. Continue to add remaining cream little by little, processing each time, until you have a dough-like puree. You might not need to use all of them.
Shape the chestnut puree into 16-18 balls in the size of chestnuts. Chill the chestnut balls for at least 30 minutes to firm them up.
Melt dark couverture chocolate in a double boiler. Roll the chestnut balls in the melted chocolate to cover all sides with the help of a fork, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Place them on a tray covered with wax paper. Garnish the top of each ball with ground pistachios.
Set aside for an hour, allowing the chocolate coating to set. Alternatively chill them for 20 minutes in the fridge.

8 comments:

DEZMOND 23/12/25 13:20: They look so pretty and what an even and crunchy coating of chocolate you achieved! I have to confess that I can only tolerate chestnuts with a lot of rum LOL We have the most amazing chestnut rum chocolate bars here in my city.
Anonymous 23/12/25 13:36: So yummy_Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
eileeninmd 23/12/25 14:54: Hello Angie
A yummy treat, thanks for sharing.
Wishing you a great day !
Tom 23/12/25 14:57: ...Angie, you come up with some amazing creations.
Kathylorraine 23/12/25 15:25: Good morning sounds delicious
Norma2 23/12/25 16:10: Angie, your preparation today is perfect to accompany the coffee that we will surely have during the gatherings these holiday days. A hug and Happy Holidays to you.
Anne in the kitchen 23/12/25 16:39: I am not a huge chestnut fan, but I imagine these are delicious, especially with the coconut sugar. I have some on hand and this might be the perfect way to use it.
Brian's Home Blog 23/12/25 17:39: YUM! Those gotta be so good!