A few months ago we launched our new cook book with a big ol’ party at our favorite cooking store, Orson Gygi in Salt Lake City. Hundreds of you showed up to say hello, have some munchies, and celebrate with us. (Thank you!) It was seriously one of the best days ever. Since neither Kate nor I live in Salt Lake City, every time we do an event at Orson Gygi we stock up on goodies for ourselves. This past trip I spent a really long time in their aisle of colors and flavorings, partially just out of sheer awe at the selection. They have literally hundreds of flavors, half of which I never knew existed.
I sat there wanting to buy one of everything, but not even knowing what I would use them for. That’s when I remembered last Christmas when my friend Cami borrowed some peppermint oil from me to make homemade gumdrops. She brought over a plate of the sparkled jewels when she was done and they were so fun to eat! I thought it would be the perfect thing to stock up on flavors and colors for so I grabbed a few at Orson Gygi that day. And then I ordered just a few more on-line. I have difficulty making decisions, okay?
This is the basic recipe you see all over the place for “Homemade Gumdrops” but I think that name is a bit misleading. These aren’t as chewy and sticky as a gumdrop, they’re more soft and jelly-like. Almost like (and I really hate to use this comparison, because they’re way better than this- I swear) a glorified Jell-O jiggler. But they’re delicious and sparkly and kind of addicting. My kids couldn’t keep their little fingers away from these, and they loved helping smell the flavors and pick color combos.
These take quite a bit of gelatin, you’ll need a couple of boxes at least. Keep in mind you’re buying unflavored gelatin (which is found near the baking supplies and Jell-O in the grocery store.) And yes, all of that sugar is going in. C’mon, it’s candy!
To use unflavored gelatin, you first soften it by sprinkling it over cold water. It will instantly take form as the granules of gelatin absorb the water.
After it softens, add boiling water to dissolve it and you’ll have a liquid. Once the gelatin is mixed in and dissolved, add the sugar.
Bring this mixture to a boil on the stove-top. You’ll want to keep an eye on it, and like, maybe not turn it up crazy high because you’re too impatient to wait for it to come to a boil and then leave it like that while you go feed your kids Corn Pops for lunch and get distracted when said Corn Pops end up in a splat across your freshly mopped kitchen floor. If that happens, you might end up with sticky-scalding-jelly-sugar all over your brand new (and therefore pristinely clean) stove top.
The stove-top that you ironically snapped a photo of just minutes before, simply because it was so pretty and so, so clean and the fact that it’s shaped like a star makes you smile.
The same burner you then spent approximately 47 minutes cleaning.
Tips from a pro, folks.
K, back to cooking. Once the mixture finishes boiling remove it from the heat. At this point, it’s pretty much done and you can color and flavor it. (I like that there are Christmas lights flickering in this photo!)
It will easily make 2 8×8 pans if you want to just to do two colors (like red and green). If you want to experiment with a variety of colors and flavors, you can use any containers. I used a bunch of little plastic rectangular food-storage containers and I found it easiest to line them with plastic wrap and spray the plastic wrap with non-stick spray. You can pour the sugar mixture directly into the containers first and then add colors and flavors, but I mixed small batches in a mixing bowls first and then poured them in.
Are you noticing the change in background in these photos? These are my pretty new counter tops in my new kitchen. I’ve gotten lots of requests to see photos of my new cooking space so as soon as I can get through Christmas I’ll take some photos of it to show you guys. I love, love, love how it all turned out.
If you’re experimenting with small batches in random-sized containers, a good trick is to use a measuring cup to measure how much water fills the container up about 1/2 inch so you know how much sugar mixture to color.
Add food coloring and flavoring as you like. I used oils and started with about 1/8 teaspoon per cup of sugar mixture, and increased to taste from there. I’m using oils, but regular extracts will work fine too. If you can find oil, they work particularly well in things like this because you don’t run the risk of having an alcohol-ish after taste from extract. The mixture should be cool enough to test by this point so you can go by taste.
One of my favorites was coconut. Did you know they make white food coloring? I learned that from Bridget, who uses it to make her white icing bright white.
Once they’re in their containers or pans, chill them for at least 4 hours in the fridge. When they’re chilled and set, pull the mixture out by the plastic and peel off onto a cutting board that’s been sprinkled in sugar. Since I was making small batches, I placed them directly on a plate of sugar and turned to coat all sides.
Use a sharp knife (it might help to coat with cooking spray) to cut into cubes and roll the cubes in sugar. It helps to have a plate of sugar nearby to coat the sticky sides and make cutting easier. I also found we all liked these much better in smaller pieces, like 1/2 inch squares as opposed to 1 inch squares.
Leave the candies out at room temp for a day or two (overnight is fine) so the sugar can crystallize and form a crunchy exterior.
We did blue with blueberry, green with lime, lemon with yellow, tangerine with orange, strawberry-kiwi with pink, and coconut with white.
People are always asking us for goodies that pack and ship well- and these fit the bill!
I had excellent intentions of making a printable to go with these (Have a Holly-Jelly Christmas??) but I opted to take a nap today instead. Yes, really. So if anyone can think of a particularly catchy phrase for a printable I just might make one up for ya!
Sparkly Fruit Gummies
Recipe slightly adapted from LHJ Magazine
6 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (about 8 envelopes*)
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 1/4 cups boiling water
6 cups sugar, plus extra for coating
Extract or flavored oil
Food coloring
*Measure out the gelatin in tablespoons, as it may be more than 8 envelopes. If you have a partial pack at 6 tablespoons, just add all of the partial pack.
1. Line 2 8-x-8-inch pans, or a variety of smaller rectangular containers with plastic wrap and spray with non-stick spray. Set aside. Sprinkle gelatin evenly over the cold water in a 6-quart pot. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add the boiling water and stir until gelatin dissolves. Stir in sugar.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and gently simmer for 25 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. At this point you may pour the mixture into the prepared pans and then add flavors and colors as desired, or carefully pour hot mixture into a mixing bowl in batches to color and flavor and then pour the mixture into the prepared pans. Cover finished containers with plastic and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Lift plastic from pans and peel off candy. Turn candy onto a cutting board that’s been sprinkled with sugar. Coat a sharp knife with cooking spray, then cut candy into 1/2-inch cubes. Roll in sugar.
4. Leave candies on parchment, foil, or waxed paper at room temperature for one to two days to allow the outside to crystallize. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
PS: LAST DAY to enter our fantastic giveaway! Click here for the details!
(Edit: Lots of people have asked about the cute mason jar with the cut-out lid in the photo above. It’s from Orson Gygi, too!)
Questions & Reviews
It’s the jelly belly roll. There’s your catch phrase. I loved all the vibrant colors, and I want all the oils. I’ve been making my own extracts the last couple of months since they are expensive and hard to find here in the Netherlands without buying online, and the shipping costs for small items is redic, so since I had oranges, lemons, etc., I thought I’d make them myself and quite honestly they have worked great, the magic of vodka lol. The oils I’m not sure how to make, but maybe I can diy some also, but that’s for another day when I’m not trying to clear out all my baking gear out of my small kitchen so I can actually have people over without it looking like a horder lives here. I’m bookmarking your blog, I’ll check out more over the new year.
I got a catchy phrase to go with your jelly chews or fruity gummies “Have a jolly holly with our juicy jelly gummies”
Hi Sara. I was wondering if these will work in silicone molds (sprayed w/ cooking spray, of course)?
Yes they should!
When I roll my gummy in sugar it melts the sugar and doesn’t crystallize. People said I should roll in corn starch first but that sounds gross. Any thoughts? More sugar?
Hmm, I’m not sure! If you roll it in cornstarch then the sugar won’t stick, so that doesn’t work. They shouldn’t be wet (which would melt the sugar as you’re describing) so maybe they needed to cook or cool longer?
can these be made in a candy mold? spray w pam, maybe
How much exract and flavoring to one recipe??
Really depends on what type you are using- just add to taste 🙂
Have you used the “Truffly” molds for your jelly candies? I was wondering if they would work, sprayed with PAM then sugared?
I’ve never tried, not sure!
How much flavoring did you use per batch?
It’s just to taste, so it really depends on what kind you use.
So, couple of lessons learned. First, be very, VERY light handed with the flavoring. First batch I made I wound up with waaaay too much flavoring, to the point where they were inedible. Second, you cannot use pectin + lemon juice to augment the gelatin (I was trying to make the candies gummier). They set up nice, but then the pectin goes all soft and gooey again at room temp. Third, gel food coloring really doesn’t work very well in these. I’m going to use liquid coloring from now on in them.
For the people who’ve had trouble with the candies melting when you sugar coat them: the humidity level in your kitchen is likely partly the issue. Allowing the uncoated candies to dry a few hours may help. Also, you can spread your sugar out on a baking sheet and put it in the oven on low for 20 minutes to make it as dry as possible.
@Krista: I don’t think freezing would work very well with these. Ice crystals from freezing will break the gelatin, and make it go all runny when it thaws back out.
Notes on test batch number 3: Method Matters- The Search for Gummy.
In a large pot combine 6 cups sugar and 2 cups water. Heat to 240 degrees F (soft ball). Remove from heat. In another large pot sprinkle 8 tablespoons gelatin over 1 ½ cups cold water. You may need to stir to get all the gelatin damp. When the sugar mixture cools to about 218 degrees, pour/scrape it into the gelatin. Stir until the mixture is smooth, then heat just to boiling while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and mix in 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons citric acid if you want a sweet-tart flavor. Add colors and flavors, mix well (but gently- try to keep bubbles minimal). Pour into two quarter sheet baking pans lined with lightly oiled plastic, refrigerate 4-6 hours.
The sugar mix went all grainy and stiff when it was cool enough to add to the gelatin, but smoothed right back out as soon as I started stirring. The candy was stringy and kind of gooey as it heated back to boiling, but again smoothed out as it cooked.
The candy set up quickly in the fridge, and is much closer to gummy bear texture than the jelly texture from following the original instructions. It’s even noticeably less sticky than from following original instructions, and cuts easily with a lightly oiled knife. I declare this test batch successful!
The final notes- a last bit of tweaking.
Replace 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of corn syrup. Reduce water in sugar mix by 3/4 cup. Increase cold water by 1/4 cup. Increase gelatin by 1 tablespoon.
Combine sugar, corn syrup and 1 1/2 cup water. Heat to soft ball (240 degrees F). Remove from heat, allow to cool to about 218 degrees.
In another pan, sprinkle gelatin over 1 3/4 cups cold water or juice. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then add sugar mixture. Heat just to boiling, remove from heat and add citric acid (if using), flavor and color. Skim off foam, pour into prepared pans, cover and chill.
How long do these keep? I want to make them for a Christmas gift how early can I make them? Do they freeze?
I’ve never frozen them so I’m not sure; you’d have to experiment. They should keep in an airtight container though for a week or so. Hope that helps.
First of all, thanks for posting this recipe! I am making candies for a “science of sour” night at a local museum and using different organic acids to demonstrate their unique flavors (citric, malic, lactic, acetic, etc.) I made a very small test back (1/6 of the recipe) and simmered it for 25 minutes. The entire time I had it on the stove it was opaque, though, and never turned clear again like your pictures have it. Did anyone else’s have a very white/opaque tone? Also, when I poured it into the molds a crust immediately formed on top as they cooled – you know, a sugary, crystallized type of crust. I still need to wait for them to completely cool and solidify. Perhaps my scaling down caused too much water to boil off since there was so little in the pot? Thanks for your help!
Gosh, I honestly don’t know- sorry! (But your museum night sounds really fun!)
Do you think they would work with a sugar substitute? Like stevia in the raw? I know it’s usually an even switch but curious if it would be gross.
Thanks, can’t wait to try these beautiful treats!!
The Kool-Aid Worked!!! I’m so excited! I wish my camera on my phone worked so I could send you a picture of how awesome my gummies turned out. I just tweaked your recipe (added more sugar, 10 packs of gelitan as directed with the additional water, replacing the food coloring and flavored oils with my “failed mixture of Rock Candy with Kool-Aid”)… and Wha-la-la-la… It looks and tastes great!!! Thanks so much for posting this recipe, so I could fix my mishap!
‘Im hoping your recipe will save me from a major fail I had trying to make rock candy!… I waited 8 days and it never crystalized! It might have been because I added a packet of Kool-aid to the sugar mixture for flavor and color. (?). Anyway, I found your recipe and decided I would combine my “Kool-aid Rock Candy” with your gummy recipe and see if I could salvage my mess. I’ve made the mixture and am waiting till the morning to find out the results, but I was wondering if you know by chance if the use of Kool-Aid will negatively effect the turnout? Signed, Patience is a Virtue!
Hi I used the pectin envelopes and I followed the instructions and boiled it…and then read after that you’re never supposed to boil pectin lol. Are there different rules
For candy making? Should I not have boiled it? Or was I (as per usual) skimming through the instructions and skipped something? The top seems to be forming a skin – will it still set?
Thanks in advance! And I love the recipe. Your candies are beautiful 🙂
LorAnn Oils makes a Tart & Sour product used to enhance flavors in candy making. My kids love the sour flavors added to homemade candies so much that I buy it by the quart!
Hi,
What type of sugar to use? and how much does this recipe make?
Thanks