How To Turn Frozen Grapes Into A Candy-Like Treat

Love the sensation of eating sour candy, but don't want to actually be eating candy? Save your teeth, and make lip-puckering sour grapes instead. With just a few ingredients, and an hour of waiting patiently for the grapes to freeze, you'll be able to satisfy the craving for Sour Patch Kids with a healthier, no-cook option. 

First, select a grape variety: Green is best because of their slight tartness and super crunchy texture. Red grapes also work here, but overall, this variety tends to be less crunchy and firm. Other less common varieties can be used, like sweet, flavorful Moon Drop or cotton candy grapes, but note that it will result in a different texture and level of sweetness. Before transforming into candy, grapes should be removed from the stem, rinsed, and patted dry. 

Now, there are a few ways to add the sour and sweetness. One of the best options for sour is a culinary powder called True Lemon, which is a natural powder made from lemon juice and lemon oils. It has no added sugars, so it will need to be used alongside white sugar and fresh lemon juice to give grapes the candy coating. True Lemon is not a common kitchen staple, so a simpler version is just using lemon or lime juice and sugar to coat the grapes. Or, using a dash of citric acid can give a sour candy boost. After coating the grapes, place in the freezer for about an hour until frozen.

To expand the sweet and sour flavor palate, instead of sugar, use a package of flavored electrolyte powder or flavored Jell-O alongside lemon or lime juice. These two options give you a wide variety of flavors to choose from, ranging from citrusy grapefruit to a more artificial blue raspberry. This will also give the exterior of the grapes a vibrant, more candy-like coating. If you'd like a no sugar added option, opt for sugar-free Jell-O or a monk fruit sweetener instead of white sugar.

Grapes work well because of their spherical shape, and there is no need to cut or slice the fruit up. Plus, once biting into the grape, you get a secondary burst of juicy flavor after the initial sweet and sour exterior. If you don't have grapes on hand, other fruit can be used for a healthy sour candy. Blueberries are a good candidate because they are also a sphere, and provide that crunchy burst of juice and flavor as grapes do. Pineapple, mango, strawberry, and apple are other fruits that would take well to the sweet and sour coating. 

If sweet and sour isn't your combo, try sweet and spicy. Another popular way to doctor up grapes into a more candy-like form is mixing with chamoy sauce and Tajín. Both are ingredients in Mexican cuisine: Chamoy is a thick sauce made from dried fruits, lime, and chili, and Tajín is a powder that consists of ground chili, lime, salt, and sugar.