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Greek Grape Spoon Sweet (Stafili Glyko) — Traditional Recipe

I’m drowning in work right now, but these candied grapes in syrup are quick and simple to make, so I decided to prepare them.

Mixing grapes and other ingredients for Greek spoon sweet stafyli gliko.

Ingredients

2 lb grapes (use seedless if you want seedless candied grapes)
1 lb sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/8 tsp salt
1 TB lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a few cloves (optional)

Method

Remove stems and rinse the grapes thoroughly. Place them in a pot with the sugar, salt, water, and orange juice.

Stir ingredients for Greek spoon sweet recipe stafyli gliko.

Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and keep the grapes from sticking.

Heating grapes for Greek spoon sweet recipe stafyli gliko.

Boiling grapes for Greek spoon sweet recipe stafyli gliko.

Let the pot sit overnight. The next day, return it to the stove and simmer gently until the syrup thickens, about 45 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally and skim any foam if needed. Add the lemon juice near the end, stir it in, and remove the pot from the heat.

Adding lemon juice to the grapes for Greek spoon sweet recipe stafyli gliko.

When the candied grapes have cooled to room temperature, stir in the vanilla. Pack the grapes and syrup into clean jars. If you like, add a clove or two to each jar for extra aroma. Traditionally these spoon sweets were stored at room temperature once sealed, but I keep them refrigerated for longer freshness.

The candied grapes are done, Greek spoon sweet recipe stafyli gliko.

Serving suggestion: enjoy these candied grapes on toast, with yogurt, or spooned over ice cream. They also make a charming gift when packed into jars.