Mexican Tamarind Candy

Ingredients

• 1 pound tamarind pods , peeled
• 1 cup water
• 1 orange , peeled and segmented
• 4 cups white sugar
• 4 tablespoons chile-lime seasoning , such as Tajin®
• 1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

1. 1

   Bring tamarind pulp, water, and orange to a boil in a pot; continue to boil for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Pour tamarind mixture into a colander placed over a large bowl. Mash and scrape against the side of the colander until all the juice and pulp drips into the bowl. Dump remaining seeds into a strainer and repeat the process; remove the outer casing around the seeds by hand and toss out the seeds.

3. 3

   Blend outer casings with juicy pulp in an electric blender.

4. 4

   Return mixture to the large pot and add sugar, Tajin®, and butter. Bring to a soft boil, stirring constantly. Heat to 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water and placed on a flat surface.

5. 5

   Remove from heat and let cool, about 2 hours.

6. 6

   Fill a pastry or plastic sandwich bag with the candy mixture and squeeze onto plastic spoons. Place plastic spoons onto a cookie sheet and chill until firm, about 1 hour. Coat with more Tajin® if desired, wrap with plastic, and close with a twist tie.