Homemade Fruit Snacks Without Gelatin

Soft, chewy orange fruit candy made with fresh orange juice and cornstarch. These gelatin-free fruit snacks set in a tray before being cut and coated in sugar.

Recipe Developer-Estefania

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 3 55

Ingredients

Instructions

Line an 8 × 4 × 2⅜-inch (20 × 10 × 6 cm) tray with parchment paper.
Zest the orange, then juice and strain the oranges. Measure 240 ml of strained orange juice.
Pour the 240 ml freshly squeezed orange juice into a large saucepan. Add 200 g granulated sugar, 120 g cornstarch and 1 tablespoon grated orange zest. Stir until smooth and fully combined.
Set the saucepan over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add ⅛ teaspoon salt and 10 g butter, then stir until the butter melts.
Cook over low heat for 20–30 minutes, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes very thick and pulls away from the sides of the saucepan.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tray and smooth the top. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until fully set.
Lift the set candy from the tray and remove the parchment paper. Cut it into 18 evenly sized squares.
Place 50 g granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Coat each homemade fruit snack evenly with sugar before serving.

Notes

Avoid the white pith: Zest only the bright orange part of the peel because the white pith can make the candy bitter.

Control the heat: Keep the heat low after the mixture boils to prevent scorching and help the cornstarch thicken evenly.

Use the specified tray: A wider tray will produce thinner candies and may change the setting time.

Oil the knife: Lightly oil the knife before cutting to produce cleaner squares without pulling the candy apart.

Nutrition