Munching on candy grapes produces an explosion of flavors in your mouth before dissolving in sweetness. Kids love them, and so do we. The only downside of this snack is how perishable it can be.
The question is, how to make candy grapes so that they’ll last for a while? We found the answer. The Jolly Rancher method is hands down the way to go to make candy grapes at home. With this method, they’ll last for at least a week.
They’re much easier to make this way, plus not to mention more affordable. Making them yourself also allows you to experiment with different flavors and toppings. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
How To Make Candy Grapes – Which Method Is The Best?
As candy grapes are one of our favorites, we’ve been on a quest to find a method that produces the longest-lasting candy grapes. Lo and behold, we found just how to make candied grapes without corn syrup that lasts for an entire week.
Making candy grapes with Jolly Rancher hard candy is best if you want to enjoy your candy grapes slowly. Here’s why we love this method:
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Lasts Much Longer
We left a batch in the refrigerator for a week, and the grapes didn’t expand at all. Moreover, except for a couple of candy grapes, the candy shell remained crack-free. The only change you’ll notice is that the candy grapes start melting once the one-week mark is hit.
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Fewer Ingredients
You also don’t need many ingredients to make candy grapes this way. A bag of Jolly Rancher and grapes is enough.
You can add white gel food dye to make the consistency thicker instead of the transparent color, as the candies have. But the recipe works just fine, even without the dye.
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Microwaving is Enough
Another benefit is that using a microwave is enough. You don’t need to take the hassle of a stove and pans.
How To Make Candy Grapes With Jolly Rancher
This method involves making the candy coating entirely of Jolly Rancher candies. It’s also great for making small batches of candy grapes for family and friends.
Ingredients & Other Necessities:
- 5 Firm grapes at room temperature per batch
- 4″ bamboo skewers
- Jolly Rancher hard candy
- Silicone muffin cups
- Chefmaster Liquid Whitener Liqua-Gel
- Silicone baking mat
- Mortar and pestle
- Sieve
- Small rounded paintbrush
- A small bowl of water
- Watermelon fruit slice candy
- Tamper-resistant clear plastic container
A Step-By-Step Guide To Make The Best Candy Grapes
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Preparing The Grapes
Take firm grapes that are at room temperature. Twist them off the stock by gently rotating them a few times. Ensure that you don’t create a large hole or break the skin. Otherwise, the skewers won’t fit as snuggly.
Insert each grape with a toothpick into the side where the hole is. Dry any juice oozing out at this point with a paper towel.
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Melting The Jolly Rancher Hard Candy
To achieve the cherry-watermelon flavor, use six of the cherries and three of the watermelon Jolly Ranchers for each batch.
Put the nine candies inside a silicone baking cup. Place a small microwavable plate underneath the silicone cup before popping them in for 15 seconds.
Melting is done at intervals. After 15 seconds, take the plate out and squish the cup around before microwaving it for another 15 seconds.
Use a toothpick to stir the candy and pop it in for another 3 seconds. Continue in this manner with 3-second intervals.
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Get The Right Consistency
You’ll add the liquid food color when the candy is loose and completely melted. Squeeze a drop into a small bowl.
Drag your toothpick’s edge through the liquid white color and mix the paint on the toothpick with the melted candy. Again dip the toothpick into the dye and mix.
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Swirl The Grape In The Liquid
Take a skewered grape and tilt the cup forward. Swirl the grape in without dipping the hole in the melted candy and shake the excess candy off into the cup.
Wipe the bottom of the candy grape onto the side of the cup before placing it on the silicone mat.
After dipping four grapes, you’ll likely need to reheat the candy for another 3 seconds to candy the last grape. Leave them on the mat for 45 seconds. Don’t freeze or decorate at this point.
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Prepare The Decorative Crystals
While you’re waiting, crush the green apple-flavored candies with a mortar and pestle to get candy crystals. Pass the crystals through a sieve to separate the finer powder.
But if you prefer the powdery look instead, you can use a food processor to crush the candy into fine powder.
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Add The Decorative Touches
To apply the crystals to your candy grape, wet the tip of a small paint brush in water and swipe it on the top portion of the candy grape.
Shower the candy grape with green candy crystals, and they’ll stick to the candy grape. Store the excess crystals in an air-tight container.
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Store Them Properly
Once they’re all decorated, you want to store the grapes in a hinged clear plastic container. Take out the skewers from the candy carefully without cracking the candy grape.
Drop some watermelon fruit slice candy with the candy grapes and arrange them to look pretty. You can store them in the refrigerator for a week without cracking or swelling of the grapes.
FAQs
- How to store candied grapes?
The best way to store candied grapes is to refrigerate them in an airtight container. Don’t put one on top of the other. Keep each one separated or they’ll stick together when their surface melts a bit after a few days.
- Are candy grapes healthy?
Grapes are one the fruits that are high in sugar. On top of that, there’s the sugar from the candy. So, we don’t think candy grapes are healthy, to say the least. That’s why we found a recipe that allows you to eat them slowly.
- How to make candied grapes without a thermometer?
Follow our method of making candy grapes with the Jolly Rancher hard candy that’s given above. You won’t need a thermometer.
- How to make candy grapes with pop rocks?
Pop rocks are one of the best candy grapes ingredients to coat the candied layer with. You can simply swap the green apple crystals for pop rocks in our recipe. The best part is that they come ready for sprinkling on top and offer many flavors.
- What food coloring do you use to make candy grapes?
We love using Chefmaster Liqua-Gel Food Coloring. You can get a variety of shades. But most importantly, the consistency we get with these colors produces the best results.
Conclusion
Candy grapes are delicious and fun to play with by trying out different flavors. But with so many different ways to make them, it can be confusing as to which method is the best.
Hopefully, our article has helped you with how to make candy grapes. Even if you can only get 5 grape candies at once, this is still the best way as you can refrigerate it for much longer. It’s healthier to eat slower.
