I recently posted this photo to my personal Facebook page with the caption, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Several friends commented agreeing with me, but quite a few mentioned that they had, somehow, never had chestnuts before! 
This both amazed and saddened me. So many of my childhood holiday memories involve roasting chestnuts. Maybe because I was a little kid, it seemed like the process took forever, and I remember waiting and waiting for them to be ready. But, in reality, they couldn’t be simpler to make! Since they are a naturally vegan treat, I figured I’d share the way I prepare them.
You’ll need:
- chestnuts (obviously!)
- a sharp knife (serrated works well for me)
- a roasting pan with holes in it (similar to this one, though if you’re using my oven method, it doesn’t need a long handle!)
- a shallow pan for water
- your oven(I really did these in my toaster oven!)
- Preheat your oven. It needs to be hot. I did mine at 425.
- Step Two: This is possibly the trickiest part of the entire operation. You have to score the chestnuts with a knife. We always did this in an ‘x’ shape, but I’m not entirely sure that’s necessary. It does make them easier to open, though!
- Step Three: Fill the shallow pan with water, and put it in the bottom rack of the oven. The steam keeps the chestnuts from drying out.
- Step Four: Add the chestnuts in a single layer to the perforated roasting pan, and put them on the top rack, above the water-filled pan.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes, but keep an eye on them.
They look like this when they’re ready! The shells pop open along the score lines.
Perfectly done!
In all, this was maybe 30 minutes, though the kiddie version of me would’ve sworn it took hours.
I may or may not have burned my tongue on them instead of waiting for them to cool. Some things never change!
