Give Mochi A Fruity Upgrade With Cotton Candy Grapes

Bites of cool, sweet mochi don't need to be limited to the pre-made packages you pick up from the store. Whether you prefer your treats flavored with pieces of strawberries or crave the taste of sweetened red bean paste wrapped in a gummy mango-flavored shell, making your own mochi recipes at home puts the taste of afternoon treats and after-dinner sweets in your own hands. 

Though grape may not be the first fruit that comes to mind when you think of these delightful treats, concealing a grape in the center of sweet white bean paste turns the recipe into a treasure hunt of deliciousness. For an even brighter juicy pop of flavor, reach for cotton candy grapes to stash in the center of your mochi creations. Cotton candy grapes deliver a similar sweetness to regular grapes, without any hidden flavorings, additives, or the colored sugar needed to make actual cotton candy. The result is a mochi recipe that packs even more chewy sweetness into each bite.

Cotton candy grapes are hybrids made to taste similar to the candy for which they are named by cross-pollinating grocery store grapes with Concord grapes. These sweet, succulent green orbs easily blur the line between convenient snacks and delicious treats, as they taste and smell like the cotton candy you would find at a street fair. Simply surround one cotton candy grape with the bean paste of your choice and cover the mound with a wrapping made from mochi dough. Enjoy these cold simple delights with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee, or serve a dish of homemade vanilla ice cream with one of these grape mochi balls placed on the side.

You may want to buy more grapes than what you'll need to make your homemade mochi recipe, however, as freezing these sweet grapes to eat as a snack is an equally delicious move. A batch of frozen cotton candy grapes can be quickly plopped into a drink to add a burst of cool, fresh flavor or be placed on top of a dish of chocolate-drizzled gelato for a cute, sweet garnish, with or without a side of mochi.