Steps
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Pour the fruit puree into a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and let it bloom for 5 minutes without stirring, allowing the gelatin to fully absorb the liquid.
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Place the saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the raw honey, coconut cream, lemon juice, and sea salt. Whisk gently until the gelatin is fully dissolved and everything is combined into a smooth mixture.
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Raise the heat to medium and cook the mixture at a steady simmer, stirring frequently with a heatproof spatula. You are cooking off moisture to concentrate the fruit and create a dense, chewy texture. This takes 15-20 minutes. The mixture will reduce by roughly a third and thicken noticeably — it should coat the back of the spatula and hold a trail when you drag your finger through it.
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Line a small baking dish (about 6x6 inches) with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides. Pour the hot mixture into the dish and spread it evenly with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. The layer should be about half an inch thick.
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Let the candy cool to room temperature on the counter for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 1.5 hours until completely firm and set. The candy should feel dense and slightly tacky but hold its shape.
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Lift the slab out using the parchment overhang. Cut into small squares with a sharp knife lightly oiled with coconut oil. Wrap each square individually in a small piece of parchment paper, twisting the ends closed like a classic candy wrapper.
Why It Works
Cooking the fruit puree down concentrates natural sugars and pectin, creating a dense, chewy texture without needing corn syrup or modified food starch. The coconut cream adds richness and a smooth mouthfeel that mimics the buttery chew of conventional fruit candies. Grass-fed gelatin contributes collagen protein and gives the candy structural integrity so it holds its square shape without crumbling. Raw honey provides sweetness with trace minerals and enzymes, and the lemon juice brightens the fruit flavor while adding natural acidity that balances the sweetness.
Tips
- Multiple flavors. Make separate batches with different fruit purees and wrap each color individually. Strawberry, mango, cherry, and blueberry give you four distinct flavors and colors from nothing but real fruit.
- Soft-ball test. If you have a candy thermometer, the mixture is ready when it reaches about 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Without one, the spatula-trail test described in step 3 is reliable.
- Parchment wrapping. Cut 4-inch squares of parchment paper before you start slicing the candy. Having them ready makes wrapping fast and keeps the squares from sticking to each other during storage.
- Vegan & kosher alternative. Replace the grass-fed gelatin with 3/4 teaspoon of agar-agar powder. Whisk the agar into the fruit puree before heating, bring to a gentle boil (agar must boil to activate), then simmer for 2 minutes before continuing with the recipe. Because this recipe cooks the mixture down, the agar version works especially well here — the concentrated fruit pectin and agar together create a dense, chewy square very close to the gelatin original.
