Mexican Tamarind Candy

Step 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.

Step 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.

Step 3

Blend outer casings with juicy pulp in an electric blender.

Step 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.

Step 5

Remove from heat and let cool, about 2 hours.

Step 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.