Doctor issues warning over TikTok candy grapes recipe after boy suffers severe burns

A Doctor has issued a warning to parents doing the TikTok viral candy grapes recipe after a nine-year-old suffered severe burns.

TikTok has been the home of many different viral recipes over the years, with some of the most recent entries to the list being a cucumber salad, cinnamon rolls, and a frozen salad.

Users are now making “candy grapes,” which involve coating grapes with melted Jolly Ranchers. However, one mom has issued a warning against trying this activity with a child nearby.

The viral recipe requires heating a bowl of sugar and hard candy in the microwave, which can reach almost 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Christina Blackstone told CBS News that when she pulled the molten candy out of the microwave, the contents managed to spill all over her nine-year-old son’s hand.

“I went in complete shock the moment it happened,” she said. “I heard him scream and I said, ‘Oh no, this is terrible.'”

Dr. Ariel Aballay, the burn unit director at the hospital that treated Christina’s son, also spoke out against the “candy grapes” trend.

According to the doctor, they’ve treated four patients with burns caused by accidents while doing the viral recipe.

“Molten candy is 350 degrees Fahrenheit. And if you think about it, boiling water is 212, so once you get that temperature, it doesn’t take a long time to create a burn,” said Aballay.

Wikimedia Commons

Blackstone also explained to CBS News that she was told pulling the molten candy off of her son quickly was the right move, and if she hadn’t, the injuries would have been significantly worse.

“It would have resulted in a third-degree burn and it would have gone into his nerves. He wouldn’t have feelings in his hands at that point,” she said.

This isn’t the first time a doctor has spoken out against a viral TikTok trend. Back in 2023, a doctor warned about the dangers of the ‘melatonin gummy’ trend, in which users took more than the recommended dose of the sleep aid.