Gumdrops

By kmad

Ingredients

• 4 c. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. boiling water
• 2 Tblsp. gelatin (increase slightly if using fruit juice which will dilute)
• 1-2 tsp. flavors (see below for options)
• food coloring

Details

Servings 48

Preparation

Step 1

Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 c. cold water in a pot and let sit for 5 min.

Add boiling water and stir until dissolved. Place over medium heat and add sugar. Bring to a slow boil for 15 min.

Divide into as many parts as you want flavors and pour into separate pans, lined with tinfoil to about 1/2" depth. Add desired color and flavor to each pan and stir gently until mixed.

Put your gumdrops into the fridge to set overnight. You will be able to cut them and roll the candies in granulated sugar the following day . . . though I did find that they were easier to handle after letting them set for another day.

You have several options for flavoring your gumdrops. I tried three different methods with varying results.

Natural Flavor:Use two tablespoons of natural fruit juice to flavor a quarter of the recipe. You will need to add more gelatin in the initial steps if this is the way you`re going to go, since the juice dilutes the gumdrop mixture and it won`t set as well.

Jello: You can use pre-flavored Jello to make fun flavored gumdrops, just dissolve one tablespoon of flavored Jello in warm water and add to a quarter of the gumdrop mixture.

Juice Powder: Dissolve 1 tablespoon of juice powder into a quarter of the gumdrop mixture. You might want to dissolve it in a small amount of water first to make sure it disperses equally. I didn`t try this method, so use at your own risk.

Artificial Flavor: Add about 1 tsp. of liquid flavoring to a quarter of the gumdrop mixture. If you are using candy flavors, read the instructions first since they are more intense and you`ll likely need less.