These Crack Grapes (Jolly Rancher Candied Grapes) are a fun snack to make with your kids for any occasion but I love to make these rainbow colored grapes around St. Patrick's Day and Easter! Colorful grapes that are dipped in candied syrup, then coated in classic candy flavors, are the hit of any classroom party!!
Crack Grapes (Jolly Rancher Candied Grapes) Recipe
Crack candy grapes are one of the latest requests from my tween daughter right now, and what's not to love about these grapes rolled in crushed green apple, purple grape, blue raspberry, and pink watermelon flavored Jolly Rancher hard candies?!
Have you heard of the cotton candy grapes available now? They actually taste like cotton candy (and they have developed other hybrid grapes that taste like pineapple, strawberry, and mango!).
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I haven't tried it yet, but think that using sweet cotton candy designer grapes would be an interesting combination with these crack grapes or my candied grapes.
At this point, when I make my candied or crack grapes, I tend to use green grapes. I like the tartness of the grape in contrast to the candy coating and crushed Jolly Rancher shards.
Also, if you have rock candy on hand, it works beautifully for these crack grapes. You may find that you prefer the rock candy over the flavored Jolly Rancher candies. I'm still on the fence 🙂
What Are Crack Grapes?
Crack grapes are grapes that have been coated in a candy syrup and then rolled in 'cracked' hard candy like Jolly Ranchers, sour Cry Baby Tears, sour WarHeads, or rock candy. The syrup dries on the grapes clear (it can also be colored, using gel food coloring, if desired) and the colors of the candies make the crack candied grapes colorful and fun.
The candy grapes (and other candied fruits) are sold in Atlanta by thecraxkhouse. The store appears to be the original inspiration for the sweet and sour grapes.
How To Make Crack Grapes (Jolly Rancher Candied Grapes)
- Prepare your grapes: rinse and insert toothpicks or skewers into the stem end of the grape. Set on a paper towel and dry the grapes before dipping in the syrup. Prepare your candy: Place candy flavors into heavy-duty freezer storage bags and crush them using a meat mallet/tenderizer (or rolling pin, or heavy unbreakable object). Transfer to a bowl for coating the grapes.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over high heat. You should maintain the best rolling boil that you can, stirring frequently, without letting the syrup boil over. Boil for about 5 minutes to reach the right temperature.
- You will need a candy thermometer to confirm when the syrup has reached 300-305ºF (148-152ºC). (see notes) This is the hard crack stage that will allow the syrup to set on the grape.
- Have parchment paper ready to place coated crack grapes onto to allow them to dry (set).
- Stir the vanilla extract into the syrup. Carefully dip each grape into the syrup (the syrup will be hot!!), moving quickly to get the syrup covering over the entirety of the grape and to sprinkle the coated grapes with the crushed Jolly Rancher flavors (or roll in a bowl that is tipped sideways for easy coating).
- Set your coated crack grapes on the parchment paper and allow them to dry for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove the toothpicks and serve within a few hours.
Tips for Making Crack Grapes
*If you do not have a candy thermometer, you can use a digital meat thermometer as long as it will read up to 300 degrees F (148 degrees C).
**To know that your syrup has reached the hard crack stage, use a spoon or spatula to drop the molten hot syrup into a bowl or cup of cold water. It should form hard threads that break and do not bend.
***To move through the candy coating process quickly, while the syrup is soft and workable, you can place two or more grapes on each skewer to coat simultaneously.
Storage Instructions
Keep candy grapes in an airtight container at room temperature away from any hot or cold sources. This is how I usually store my grapes for short-term use, and it depends on the candy type that was used.
I tested my candy grapes at room temperature, in the refrigerator, and in the freezer (all in airtight containers):
- Room temperature - The rock candy coated grapes did great! The Jolly Rancher candy coated crack grapes were gummy.
- Refrigerated - Both types turned out good, but the rock candy coated grapes were better and less sticky.
- Freezer - Not bad, but they needed to be eaten pretty much as soon as thawed. The candy coating on both wasn't looking too good after only about two hours thawed.
📋 Recipe
Crack Grapes (Jolly Rancher Candied Grapes)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs grapes
- 2 c sugar
- ⅔ c water
- ½ c light corn syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 toothpicks or skewers
- food coloring (optional, use food coloring gels not drops)
Instructions
- Prepare your grapes: Rinse grapes and then insert toothpicks or skewers into the stem end of the grape. Set on a paper towel and dry the grapes before dipping in the syrup.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. You should maintain the best rolling boil that you can, stirring frequently, without letting the syrup boil over. Boil for about 5 minutes to reach the right temperature.
- You will need a candy thermometer to confirm when the syrup has reached 300-305 degrees F (148-152 degrees C). (see notes) This is the hard crack stage that will allow the syrup to set on the grapes.
- Have a parchment paper-lined baking sheet ready to place coated crack grapes on once coated with candy where they can dry (set).
- Stir the vanilla extract in to the syrup. Carefully dip each grape into the syrup (the syrup will be hot!!), moving quickly to get the syrup covering over the entirety of the grape and to sprinkle the coated grapes with the crushed Jolly Rancher flavors (or roll in a bowl that is tipped sideways for easy coating).
- Set your coated crack grapes on the parchment paper and allow them to dry for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove the toothpicks and serve within a few hours.
Equipment You May Need
Video
Notes
Storage testing (below)
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Tierra says
how do you clean the pot after you are done? i ran water in mine and it instantly harden
Ah! I mentioned that in the video and thought I had added it in the post as well. Add hot water to your saucepan and heat it on the stovetop, a simmer will loosen up the candy coating in your pan.
LeighAnneAlvis says
If you thaw them on an uncovered plate w/parchment paper in the refrigerator wouldn't that help reduce the condensation problem?
Most of the stickiness that the grapes get is throughout the candy coating, so I am unsure if that would help much. However, with my next batch, I will certainly test it out and add an update! Thanks for the suggestion!
Alaina says
I used pixie sticks & nerds to candy mine ! Turned out so yummy.
OMGosh sounds awesome! Gotta try it too I LOVE pixie sticks!
Andrea says
Hi! I left the grapes on the counter in air tight container and the grapes shrank and candy melted. Help!!
Hello Andrea, I have never had an issue with the grapes shrinking although I do know that these are temperamental with storage. If you are somewhere with humidity, try placing your grapes in an airtight container and freezing them (make sure to have parchment paper between). They may be a little tacky to the touch when served, but still very 'intact'.
Ashley says
So once the crack has really thickened you cannot reheat to make more? Thank you so much for the recipe
Unfortunately, no it cannot be reheated to achieve the same result. It is just a matter of working quickly, although you could cut the recipe in half and do it in two batches.
So after working with several batches of the crack grapes and adding batches of tanghulu, this is what I do to give me a few minutes more coating time: 1) don't stir while bringing the sugar syrup to a boil, and then reduce the heat slightly once you reach 300F while you work with coating the grapes. I use most of my syrup with this method, then make a second batch.
Thanks for asking!
Nichelle Maloy says
Yes I was able to and it did get a little tint but it was just fine and I kept it on 5 while I costed the grapes given me more time to do more grapes
Thanks for adding to this!!
Tina says
Really fun to make I appreciate the video as well.
Theresa says
Is it possible to make these without the added sugar in the corn syrup?
It is the sugar in the combined syrup that will make the 'hard crack' coating on the grapes. I have not experimented enough with alternatives to say anything else will work well. Sorry!
Jessica says
I tried making these & my syrup was very dark colored not clear. I did use a candy thermometer & let it reach hard crack stage. Not sure what happened.
Hello Jessica, I just added video on this I hope you get a chance to watch it! Was your syrup very deeply amber in color? Try going just shy of 300 degrees F. It will still set nicely on your grapes and give you a few extra seconds to get them all coated too. Let me know any more specifics to help troubleshoot if you need me, ok?
Anonymous says
I have made these per your recipe. The first couple of times was ok. Now I am a pro lol practice makes perfect. I also have used life savers instead of jolly ranchers. I also found that I will blend the jolly ranchers up like 10 at a time to prevent sticking. Also found that they have to stay cool and air tight . thank you for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your experience with these crack grapes! I have used all sorts of candies too, and really love the way rock candy looks (but prefer a sour candy for flavor).
Anonymous says
So when making the crack grape I tried with strawberries and pineapple to. The only thing that I can see within like 20 minutes the candy start to melt of it. Why does this happens.
Hi there! Strawberries have a very soft, thin skin that does not hold up to being candied for long. This would prevent the candy from staying in place as well as it does with the grapes. The high liquid content of the pineapple would cause the candy coating to melt away too. I totally get it, they're fun to make and look great...but other fruits have to be ready to eat ASAP 🙂
Gwendolyn A WILLIAMS says
We have tried blending the jolly ranchers and it clumped up we also tried doing them in a food processor and it did the same thing. What am I doing wrong? Should I put the jolly ranchers in the fridge or freezer before trying to blend them? Help please and thank you.
Place each Jolly Rancher flavor into a heavy duty plastic storage bag and use the flat side of a wooden meat mallet or a rolling pin to crush the candies. Transfer the crushed jolly ranchers to a bowl that you can roll each coated grape into. I'll go update the post with more specifics too. Thanks for asking!
Zariah Brown says
Can you store them in the freezer perhaps?
Someone else has suggested that, but I would suspect that once thawing the crack grapes would melt their coating off due to condensation. I will try it out soon for a positive answer one way or the other! Thanks for asking!
Arna says
Hello, I made these and stored them in the fridge. They loss the crispness and “melted”. What else do you suggest?
Hello Arna, I'm sorry to hear that you stored them in the refrigerator! Step 6 in the instructions says do not refrigerate, I will add to keep these at room temperature in an air tight container. Just store them on the counter and they will be fine. Hope that helps!!
Anonymous says
You placed them in the freezer love that’s how they stay fresh hard and good
Did you have luck with that? Seems like they would melt once thawed? Let us know! Thanks!
Ari says
Hi. I’ve tried to make these but before I could dip my grapes the crushed jolly ranchers stick together to one chunk how can I prevent this from happening so I can dip the grapes in them ? Would you suggest cornstarch ? Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Hello Ari, I would suspect that perhaps humidity is partly to blame. If you are crushing your jolly ranchers in a bag, I would keep them sealed until just before using. Otherwise keep something handy to crush the formed clumps back down again when you're ready to roll the grapes in your broken candy. Let me know more about what's going on if this doesn't help!
Wanda says
How do you store the grapes.
I store mine at room temperature initially while they are setting up, or the day they are made. They don't usually last beyond the day I intend them for 🙂 However, to store them for use beyond the first day I would place a sheet of parchment paper in an air tight container, and a sheet of parchment paper between each layer, then store in the refrigerator. You risk the candy losing it's crispness by storing beyond day one or two. Just my thoughts on it, and I will make a batch here soon to test out the max number of days I would recommend storing the crack grapes.
Thanks for asking! And I hope that helps!
Nikki says
Can I just buy some from you lol
If you lived nearby I would happily share! Sorry, I don't offer shipping at this point 🙂