With Valentines Day coming up this next weekend, I thought this was a perfect time to share about these interesting homemade candies. This was one of those recipes that popped up in my facebook feed a while back, and once I saw what it was, and what it was made with, I absolutely had to give them a try. They intrigued me. A lot. A few weeks before I saw that posting, I’d purchased some Great Lakes brand Kosher gelatin from Amazon. I had been reading a lot about the health benefits of consuming gelatin, and decided to order some to have on hand. I mean, who doesn’t like the occasional jiggler? So I saw this recipe for fruit gummies that used 6 tablespoons of gelatin, some sugar, water and flavorings, and it became necessary to give it a try.
Now, let me forewarn everyone and mention something that no one else mentions. When you cook with real gelatin- as this one is- it smells. There’s no way around it, it stinks to high heaven, and it is a smell not unlike the smell one gets when driving past an animal disposal plant. It’s rank and unpleasant. I almost quit halfway through because it was simply awful. The gelatin needs to boil for 25 minutes, while constantly stirring, so I couldn’t even get away from it. But I kept at it. When the cooking time was up, I divided my mixture between three bowls and added some flavorings.
For flavorings, I used some candy flavorings that I’d bought years ago when I played with making my own lollipops. In this case I used strawberry, pineapple, and green apple. Then I also added some food coloring to color the candy as well. After the mixture was colored and flavored, I poured it into loaf pans that I’d lined with plastic wrap and sprayed with cooking spray. Then they went out onto the back porch to chill.
Several hours later, they were completely set. I really had to work to get that sheet of gelatin off the plastic wrap! Clearly the cooking spray is very important, but I did wonder how these would have turned out using non-stick foil instead… Eventually it came off, and I plopped my slab onto a pile of sugar. That sugar is very important- get it all over, or the candy is going to stick to everything! I used the sugar generously as I took my chefs knife and cut the candy into little cubes- and then rolled it in more sugar. When all was said and done, I had a rather large pile of gummy candies!
I have to admit, the finished texture was not what we were expecting. We were anticipating something closer to a gumdrop. Instead, it was like a very firm jiggler coated in sugar. They were fun, but everyone who tried them had the same reaction we did. Overall though, there are hardly any ingredients in this candy- they would be perfect for someone with food allergies or sensitivities. There’s no gluten, no eggs, no dairy, no nuts, etc. While our family was not a fan of these gummies, I’m keeping the recipe and tucking it away for future use. It would be so fun to be able to really bless someone with an unexpected treat when they usually have to abstain from the treat table at a holiday party.
You can flavor these with candy flavorings or oils, if that is your preference. One thing I did with just a few pieces was to mix sugar with citric acid- thinking of sour gummy candy. That didn’t work very well, but I’m sure I just didn’t use the right proportions, as they were way too sour for even my sour loving son. For Valentine’s I could totally see using some cinnamon oil for some spicy red hearts for the hot candy fan in your life.
Homemade Fruit Gummies
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.
Directions:
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.