Ingredients
Fruit and syrup
- 1 kg fresh tejocotes about 2.2 pounds, washed; use edible fruit, not roots
- 250 g piloncillo chopped; about 9 ounces
- 2 cups water plus more for blanching and thinning
- 1 Mexican cinnamon stick about 3 inches
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Slotted spoon
- Small paring knife
- Cutting board
Instructions
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add washed tejocotes, simmer 3–5 minutes until the skins loosen, then drain and cool until safe to handle.
- Peel off the loosened skins. Remove the stems, halve the fruit and carefully remove all hard seeds with a small knife or spoon. Discard seeds and stems.
- In a clean saucepan combine 2 cups water, piloncillo and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the piloncillo dissolves.
- Add prepared fruit. Simmer gently, partly covered, about 20–30 minutes, until a small knife enters the flesh easily. Stir gently so the fruit holds its shape. Add a splash of water if the syrup reduces before the fruit softens.
- Lift out the fruit if tender while the syrup is still watery. Simmer the syrup uncovered for a few minutes until lightly coating a spoon, then return the fruit. It thickens further as it cools; do not cook it into candy. Remove the cinnamon stick.
- Serve warm or chilled, dividing the fruit into 8 small portions with a little syrup. Refrigerate promptly in a shallow covered container at 40°F (4°C) or below; use within 3–4 days. This is a refrigerator dessert, not a shelf-stable canning recipe.
Video
Notes
Use only correctly identified food-grade tejocote fruit from a reliable grocer. The hard seeds are not part of this recipe; remove them before serving. Fruit firmness varies, so use the tenderness cue rather than the clock alone.
Budget estimate for quantities used: fruit $7–11, piloncillo $1.50–2.50 and cinnamon about $0.50. This is a planning range, not a current store quote.
Video credit: Las Recetas de Lupita demonstrates tejocotes in syrup. Her version uses white sugar, anise and clove; this written version uses piloncillo and cinnamon only.