100 Days of Sunshine + Cuties Recipes • The Naptime Reviewer

This post is part of a sponsored collaboration with Cuties. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by compensation.

This January has been a gloomy one as far as weather goes here in Northern California and we sure could use a little sunshine. Thankfully it’s Cuties season and that alone makes us happy.

Cuties Citrus are a favorite in this household because they are so easy to peel, are seedless, taste great, and aren’t so big that you can’t finish an entire fruit – making them perfect for kids. In fact, my oldest daughter has been getting a Cutie sent in her lunch every day and loves having a little sweet (healthy) treat for snack. It’s important that we offer our kids fresh fruits and vegetables every day, and Cuties makes it super easy.

I love to fill a bowl with Cuties and set them on the counter for everyone to snack on. Between the four of us, that bowl usually needs to be refilled every couple of days – which is why I buy Cuties by the 5 lb. bag.

Dark Chocolate Covered Candied Cuties Recipe

There are so many unique ways to use Cuties in your meals, but since my girls and I are candy lovers, we decided to make candied Cuties with dark chocolate and sea salt.

Ingredients:

8 Cuties
4 Cups of Sugar
2 Cups of Water
2 Cups Dark Chocolate Morsels
2 tbsp Pink Himalayan Rock Salt or Course Sea Salt

If using an entire 5 pound bag of Cuties, double the sugar and water.

Instructions:

Wash and dry Cuties.
Slice each Cutie into thin slices (but not too thin). I got about 5 good slices out of each Cutie.
Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk to dissolve the sugar into the water.
Add Cutie slices, breaking them up as you set them in the boiling water.
Lower the heat until you have a rolling but not super powerful boil and cook for about 20 minutes, rotating the slices occasionally.
Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for another 20 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer candied slices to a cooling rack (don’t forget to place paper towels underneath to avoid a messy counter).
Let Cuties dry for 6-8 hours (or overnight).
Once Cuties are dry (or dry to your liking), melt dark chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave, being careful not to burn it.
Dip each dried Cutie slice into the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to dry.
Sprinkle the chocolate portions of the candied Cuties with the salt of your choice (while still wet to ensure a good stick).

I double this candied Cuties recipe because I did almost an entire 5 pound bag’s worth. The recipe turned out great and the mixture of sweet and salty is divine!

Cutie-Infused Simple Syrup

Bonus: The liquid left in the pot after you’ve removed the Cuties during the boiling process is a great Cutie-infused simple syrup that is good on ice cream, pancakes, drinks, etc. Once cooled, place the syrup in sanitized mason jars and pop them in the fridge!

Random Acts of Kindness Cuties

Random Acts of Kindness day is on February 16th, and what better way to spread some love than with Cuties? I put together these adorable little candied Cuties gift bags for my girls to hand out to friends and family to help spread a little joy.

There are plenty of other ways to share the love like volunteering in your local community, putting together a care package for someone in need, creating a box of sunshine for a friend who might be feeling blue, paying for the car behind you in a drive-thru line, and more. Incorporate Cuties into your random acts of kindness for a little added sunshine!