Okay, so I wanted to make some orange raisins today. First, I needed to pick out the right kind of grapes. I read online that Thompson Seedless are the best, ’cause they’re sweet and have thin skins. That sounded good to me, so I went with those.
I grabbed a big bunch of Thompson Seedless grapes from the store. When I got home, I gave them a good wash, you know, to get rid of any dirt or whatever. Then I carefully picked each grape from the stems. It took a bit of time, but it was kind of relaxing, actually.
Next, I needed to figure out how to dry them. I thought about just laying them out in the sun, but it’s not really that sunny where I live right now. So, I decided to use my oven. I spread the grapes out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It is said that this is called sun-dried, I guess.
- Set my oven to the lowest temperature, around 200°F (93°C).
- Put the baking sheet in and just waited.
- Checked on them every few hours.
Steps I did to dry them in the oven:
It took a while, like most of the day. But, slowly but surely, they started to shrivel up and turn into raisins. I wanted them a bit chewy, not totally dried out, so I took them out when they still had a little moisture left. And, you know what? There are also differences between golden raisins and regular raisins. It seems like golden raisins are made from an ancient way. I will try that next time.
While they were drying, I mixed up a simple syrup with some orange zest and sugar. I heated it on the stove until the sugar dissolved. Once the raisins were done, I tossed them in the orange syrup while they were still warm. I wanted to make sure that the raisins can be more tasty and sweet since some people said that organic raisins have a more intense and natural sweetness. I did not buy the organic ones, but I think this might be helpful. I let them soak up all that orangey goodness for a bit.
Finally, I spread them out on a wire rack to cool and dry completely. It took a few more hours, but the wait was worth it. They turned out so good! Sweet, chewy, with a hint of orange flavor. I guess those golden raisins, or sultana raisins, are pretty good for you. They’ve got fiber, potassium, and iron.
Now, I have a big batch of homemade orange raisins to snack on. I think I’ll add some to my oatmeal tomorrow morning. Or maybe bake them into some cookies. The possibilities are endless! If anyone read this, you should totally try this! It is so easy and satisfying.
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