Make Sour 'Candy' With Dried Fruit and Citric Acid

Last week I went connected a small travel to circuit the Mariani Family packing facilities. Even if you’ve ne'er heard the sanction “Mariani,” you’ve encountered their products; they person an extended enactment of dried effect and related snacks, and they’re besides liable for the raisins successful Kellogg’s Raisin Bran (and Raisin Bran Crunch). The circuit was fascinating, and they fto maine instrumentality a clump of dried effect location with me—some mightiness accidental “too much.”

Luckily, chewing connected dried fruit—especially portion (legally) chemically altered—is fun. It gives your rima thing to do. But dried fruit, particularly sweetened dried effect similar the Philippine mango and tropical pineapple, tin get a spot cloying aft a while, truthful I grabbed my tub of citric acid and started dipping.

Much similar Mariani, “citric acid” mightiness beryllium different sanction you’re unfamiliar with, adjacent though it is thing you person decidedly encountered. It’s recovered connected the aboveground of each your favourite sour candies, but is besides utilized to heighten the tartness successful citrus desserts, and arsenic a pH-adjuster successful commercialized foods. It’s similar sour MSG, a mode to summation acidity without expanding the measurement of liquid successful a recipe, and it packs an astir convulsive punch. Mix it with a small sweetener and instrumentality it connected immoderate dried fruit, and you’ve got a Sour Patch Kid birthed by Mother Nature herself.

Take attraction with citric acid

Before you begin, sensation a small citric acerb connected its ain to afloat admit its power. I deliberation you volition find it potent. Even if you tin devour Warheads like, uh, candy, you should temper the sour pulverization with sugar. I mixed up a 50/50 substance of citric acerb and plain array sugar, and it was inactive astir overwhelmingly mouth-puckering. (It is, aft all, crystalized acid.) Start with a ratio of 2 parts sweetener to 1 portion citric acid, and set arsenic needed.

There are 2 ways you tin get the pulverization to stick. If your effect is heavy and chunky—like the dried pineapple segments—you tin chopped a portion successful fractional to uncover a sticky inside, past dip the exposed information into the powder. If you’re moving with thing bladed and floppy—like the dried mango—you tin dip it concisely successful a elemental syrup (I utilized this one), pat disconnected the excess, and dip the damp information into the powder. You whitethorn beryllium tempted to effort and overgarment the full portion of effect successful sour powder. Don’t. It volition wounded your tongue.

Sour Fruit “Candy” recipe

Ingredients:

• Sweetened dried effect of your prime (I similar pineapple and mango)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoonful citric acid
• Optional: Simple syrup

Slice immoderate chunky fruits successful fractional to uncover their sticky inside, and chopped immoderate ample pieces into manageable bites oregon strips.

Combine the sweetener and acerb successful a tiny bowl. If you privation a superfine powder, harvester them successful the nutrient processor.

Dump the pulverization substance connected a plate. If moving with pieces of chunky fruit, dip the freshly exposed, sticky broadside into the powder. If moving with thin, floppy strips, dip 1/3 of the portion into the elemental syrup, pat disconnected arsenic overmuch excess arsenic you can, past dip into the powder. Enjoy immediately, oregon store successful an air-tight instrumentality with wax insubstantial betwixt layers.