When RHR blog reader, Sarai, emailed asking for a healthy recipe to replace the sour candies that she loves, I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure if I could do it.
Regular sour candies are made with refined sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavors and artificial colors…ALL of those ingredients are off limits in the RHR kitchen! This was starting to remind me of the time that my son, Andrew, asked me to make a healthy version of Fun Dip…If I could turn that 100% sugar treat into something wholesome, then refined sugar free sour candies had to be possible.
Turns out these No-Sugar Sour Fruit Candies were much simpler to make than I could have imagined. By simply using fruit-only juice, gelatin and citric acid, these candies are just as satisfyingly sour as the ones from the store!
⅓ cup fruit-only juice (I made a batch with black cherry juice and a batch with mango juice)
1 teaspoon citric acid, divided
½ cup water, divided
4 (¼ oz.) packets unflavored gelatin
¼ cup coconut nectar
1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
In a small pot combine the fruit juice, ½ teaspoon of the citric acid, ¼ cup of the water. Mix well then sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the top of the fruit mixture. Set aside.
In another small pot, combine the remaining ¼ cup water and the coconut nectar.
Bring to a rapid boil for 5 minutes. Pour the hot nectar mixture over the gelatin mixture. Immediately place over medium heat and stir well until liquid and smooth, about 4 minutes.
Pour the mixture into an 8×8 pan and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. Cut into pieces. Combine the arrowroot with the remaining ½ teaspoon of citric acid and coat the candies. Place the candies on a wire rack and dry for 8 hours or overnight.
*For fun shapes try using a rubber mold, and pour the mixture into the mold in step 3. Enjoy!
Calories: 36
Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 6g
Sodium: 7mg
Fiber: 0g
Protein: 2g
Sugar: 0g