Taffy Grapes: A Simple Yet Tasty South Side Treat

Taffy grapes are a relatively new but no less delicious phenomenon on the Chicago food scene. Taffy grapes are green seedless grapes dipped in white chocolate or almond bark and sprinkled with chopped nuts. They taste exactly like taffy apples, which is why they're called taffy grapes.

According to the Chicago Tribune, taffy grapes have been around since about 2011. The exact origins of the dessert aren’t clear, but they started popping up at stores and restaurants on the South Side, eventually spreading out to the West Side and south suburbs. Even barbershops and nail salons started selling containers of this sweet treat.

Taffy grapes can be found at establishments like Harold’s Chicken, Baba’s Famous Steak and Lemonade, Sharks Fish & Chicken, and Nadia’s Gourmet Grapes, which offers over 30 different varieties of topped grapes, including red velvet and cookies and cream.

Here’s a recipe for classic taffy grapes that originally appeared in The Takeout. I used white almond bark, which has vanilla flavoring. In case you were wondering, almond bark is a candy coating made with vegetable fat instead of cocoa butter, and white chocolate is made with cocoa butter but no cocoa solids. The choice of which one to use is up to you. Whichever coating you use, this simple 3-ingredient recipe is sure to be a hit at your next gathering.

Taffy Grapes

Makes about 50 grapes

4 oz. white almond bark or white chocolate
1-2 bunches of large green seedless grapes
3 oz. chopped peanuts

Wash the grapes and pat them dry with a paper towel, then freeze for a few minutes to firm them up. Fill a shallow dish with a layer of chopped peanuts and set aside.

Melt the almond bark or white chocolate in the microwave or over the stove according to the package's directions. Remove grapes from freezer and pat again to make sure they’re dry, otherwise the candy coating won’t stick. Working quickly, dip the top half of each grape into the topping, then roll it in the chopped peanuts to coat. Lay on wax paper to set. Once you’ve dipped as many grapes as you like and they’ve all had a chance to set on the wax paper, place them in a wax-paper-lined container and store in the fridge. They should keep for 2-3 days.

Sources:

Marnie Sure, “Taffy grapes are Chicago’s finest dessert sold by the tub,” The Takeout (April 16, 2021).

Cheryl V. Jackson, “Taffy grapes: South side treats that sell out daily are spreading across Chicago,” Chicago Tribune (June 28, 2017).

Eng and David Hammond, Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites, 3 Fields Books (University of Illinois), 2023.

Gina Lavecchia Ragone, “How Taffy Grapes Became a Chicago Favorite,” Mashed (February 3, 2023).

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