Sugared Fruit GP From Kim @ Tiara's and Bowties - Think Smink

HUGE thank you to wonderful and talented Miss Kimberly over at Tiara's and Bowties - Think Smink for sending in this guest post for us! This look absolutely delicious and I am hoping I find the time this week to try it out myself (if I can get the hubba-hubba to go to the store)!!!!!! Enjoy, I will be back later with some more Holiday tutorials for your reading pleasure!!! HUGS~ Jenni

Hi everyone, it's Kim from Tiara's and Bowties - Think Smink!

I am a decorative artist, a wife & a mommy to 2.

With my daughter having special needs and an active 10 year old boy,

our days can get crazy, things change on a dime.

Painting is my passion, my escape, & my therapy.

I am super super excited to be here today at the Frog Pond.
Big BIG thanks to Jenni for having me over.
Lately I have been playing a bit with food.
(while trying not to eat it!)
Today's recess with food was to make
Glittered Fruit

{image via Taste of Home}
You see I am a glitter addict.  I've always loved bling and glitz. 
Over the years I have tried to tone it down a bit.
But, you see the problem is, just as a dieter who tries to never eat chocolate cake 'freaks out' & ends up eating the whole darn thing in one sitting... with the whole 2 liter of cola to wash it down.
Such is my bling addiction.
 Seriously, ever since the middle of November when stores starting stocking shelves with glittery and shiny ornaments and holiday decor, I've been on a glitter quest.
I will not hide any longer!
Santa will NOT miss our house in all its shimmery madness.
Everything is getting coated with glitter.
I may need to post a warning sign on my door to put sun glasses ON before entering!
There are many recipes for sugared or "glittered" fruit.
I used cream of tartar, easily accessible at any grocery store!
So, this was a first run at glittering the fruit, so I gathered a bit of fruit, the cream of tartar (1tbs), a 1/2 cup of water, granulated sugar (extra fine looks the best), a few spoons, and a pastry brush if you have one.  If not a spoon does the trick.

Mix the tartar and water... looks kind of like watered down glue.
You need a tasteless binding agent to make the sugar stick.
Some recipes call for egg white or gelatin, use what you have.

Dip your fruit into the glue mixture.  Use a pastry brush to brush it on or use a spoon to pour it over the fruit.  (It gets a bit messy)

Then, spoon the sugar over the fruit.  Much like glitter and glue... keep dumping sugar on those babies to coat them really well!

Set aside to dry on a wire rack.  Just a tip, the fruit glitter dries very hard.  If you are going to use your grapes in a centerpiece that will drape over the edge, let them dry over an inverted bowl to shape them into a curve.

I was very disappointed in the grocery store selection of fruit today!

I wanted a few plums.

What's Christmas without a sugar plum?

Did they have them? ... noooooo.

Hell-OH Mr. Produce man... where are the plums?

Another little tip, be sure to wash your fruits with peels very well.

The waxy schmaltz they coat apples and such with does not work very well with the whole sugar stick to the fruit thing.

Hence, apple glittery madness... FaiL

The lemon turned out nice!

You can even sugar slices of fruit!

It does not work on those fruits that brown when cut like bananas and apples though!

(not pretty)

Trick to glittering the sliced fruit is to cut and dry off well, let them sit for a while to kind of dry out.

If you try to glitter them in all their juicy goodness, the sugar just melts.

(see top orange up there...)

Fruits like apples, oranges, plums and such can be done a few days in advance if you wish to try this for Christmas, just keep in mind that glittered fruit cannot be stored in the fridge!

It melts in the fridge, so only do in advance the fruits that can sit at room temp for a few days.

It is so easy to glitter fruit! It is edible too!

Your family won't believe they are real!

Mine didn't.

Just be sure to keep an eye on the kids or it'll be gone before Christmas morn!