There are parents who find it struggling to feed their children nutritious fruits. But we know how important it is to consume fruits to get vitamins, anti-oxidants, and other elements, right?
Well, Crack grapes or candied grapes are a piece of good news for those parents because kids love the sweet and hard layer outside the fruits. Not only kids though, but also adults are fond of such unique recipes.
So, if you’re here for a healthy, nutritious, and delicious crack grapes recipe, welcome to the world!
Overview of Crack Grapes
Crack grapes are one of the sweetest treats moms can give their kids. The great thing is that it’s super easy to make and requires no special ingredients. All you have to do is unwrap Jolly Rancher candies, melt them in your microwave, and get a sugary fruit coating.
However, you can use ready-made corn syrup instead of crushing and melting Jolly Rancher candies.
Now, you may wonder why it’s called ‘crack grape.’ It’s because the candy-coated grapes crack once you bite into them. And, if you’re curious about its origin, well, this recipe is a simple version of ‘Tanghulu’.
The Tanghulu is a famous snack in China where crispy fruits are layered with melted sugar.
Overall, the Crack Grape’s making process is pretty simple and your kids will love the colorful plus crunchy new-kind-of grapes.
Crack Grapes Recipe
This recipe can serve up to 20 members. And, along with the preparation time, you may need around 30 minutes in total.
Ingredients
- Grapes: 3 lbs
- Sugar: 2 cup
- Vanilla extract: 1 tablespoon
- Water: ⅔ cup
- Skewers/ toothpicks: 100
- Light corn syrup: ½ cup
- Food coloring
Making Directions
- To start the process, prepare your grapes. Use clean water to rinse your grapes. After that, mark the stem part of the grapes and insert some toothpicks or skewers into them.
- Spread the grapes on a paper towel and let them dry.
- Now, it’s time to mix the syrup. Use a heavy-bottom saucepan for this step. Add sugar, water, and corn syrup, and let them boil over a medium-high heat source. Remember, you should never over-boil the syrup. Strictly, cook for around 5 minutes.
- You’ll want to make sure that the syrup attains 300 To do so, use a candy thermometer. The grapes should get the hard layer of the syrup now.
- Use a baking sheet to line a parchment paper where you’ll dry the candy-coated grapes.
- Add vanilla extract to the syrup and stir well. Dip your grapes into the hot syrup (one at a time). Every grape should be completely submerged in the syrup. At this stage, you can crush some Jolly Rancher candies and sprinkle them over the grapes.
- Lay the grapes on parchment paper and wait around 30 minutes to dry them.
- Finally, take out the toothpicks from the grapes and enjoy your snack!
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 133 kcal
- Protein: 1 g
- Carbs: 35 g
- Fat: 1 g
- Vitamin A: 301 IU
- Vitamin C: 1 mg
- Sugar: 34 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Sodium: 7 mg
- Calcium: 6 mg
- Iron: 1 mg
- Saturated fat: 1 g
Bonus Tips to Make The Best Crack Grapes
You’ve known the delicious crack grapes recipe by now. These tips below will help you avoid any mistakes while the making process.
- How to be sure that your syrup mix has come to the hard crack stage? Consider using a spatula or spoon to determine the fact. Fill a cup or bowl with cold water and use a spatula to drop the syrup into the cold water. The perfect syrup shouldn’t bend or break. Instead, it should create hard threads.
- It’s okay to use a digital meat thermometer if using a candy thermometer isn’t your option.
- Don’t worry if you’ve placed more than one grape on each skewer to hasten the candy coating process. It’s okay to do so.
How to Store Crack Grapes?
If you’re planning for short-term storage, you can place the grapes in an airtight container and keep in at room temperature. But make sure you keep it away from cold or hot sources.
However, if you use Jolly Rancher candies for the recipe, storing them at room temperature may make them gummy.
Storing candied grapes in the refrigerator is perfectly okay. You’ll find them taste great, but sometimes, they can get sticky. So, try to consume them as soon as you can.
If you have to keep the grapes in the freezer, yes, you can do it. But eat them right after you thaw the grapes.
Related Article:
How Healthy Are Crack Grapes?
Candied grapes are healthy snacks. You’ll get the following significant benefits from crack grapes:
- Crack grapes have anti-oxidation properties
- They improve your immune system
- They aid in maintaining blood sugar because of the low glycemic content
However, if you compare crack grapes to regular green grapes, the second one wins. One cup of regular grapes has 62 calories plus 15 grams of natural sugar. On the contrary, one cup of crack grapes contains around 100 calories plus 28 grams of sugar.
So, regular grapes are recommended over crack grapes, especially if you’re on a tight diet.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Cracked Grapes?
When you coat the regular grapes with your preferable syrup, they’re called cracked grapes. And cracked candies are used to make the syrup. You can choose the flavors and colors of the candies according to your preference.
How Long Will My Candy Grapes Take to Harden?
Candy grapes take around 30 minutes to get hardened. However, the duration depends on which type of candy you use.
How to Prevent Candied Fruits from Melting?
Storing the fruits in the right way will prevent them from melting. Place them in a controlled storage system. For example, during warm weather, keep them in 50-60℉ and 60% humidity to keep them as fresh as possible.
Can I Freeze Candy Grapes?
Here’s the best way to freeze candy grapes. Directly place the baking sheet (where you’re drying the grapes on) in the freezer. When you notice that the grapes are frozen, move them into a plastic container.
