There are a lot of great chocolate, caramel, and peanut buttery treats out there. Any assortment of those is always fine by me, however, when I come across my favorite fruit gummy snack- its as if nothing else exists! There is a picnic coming up, so I thought I would bring something a bit different- a fruity candy for a lighter treat. In hopes of making the candies a bit healthier, even if slightly, I set my sights on a wealth of online recipes. Whenever I look for new candy recipes, it seems to me that sugar is quite temperamental, a bunch of temperature gauging, boiling, rolling, and sometimes even pulling and stretching. The recipe for gummy candies that I found seems simple, and I tweaked it a bit as I went along, to get closer to a candy than a fruit snack. In order to dole out as gifts at the sunny picnic gathering, I made sure to use a surprising, harder to find candy-flavor: Apple.
Apple Jellies
(adapted from this recipe)
• ½ Cup Apple Juice Concentrate
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 2 packages of Gelatin
• 1 package Pectin
• ½ Cup Sugar
This recipe makes 60 individual ½ inch cubed jellies.
Method:
Start by preparing your space. I used two flexible ice trays that are intended to make ice look like long tubes. The mold you choose must have a ‘sheen,’ or non-sticky surface (I don’t suggest adding grease) that amounts to no deeper than a ½ inch at any given place. At the end of the drying process I used a butter knife to extract the jellies, so be mindful of the complexity of your shape. Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper, then set aside. Wax paper is essential and ideal; the jellies will fiercely stick to anything else.
Add all of the ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl and mix well. Place in the microwave and set cook time for five minutes, opening at each minute mark to stir. When thoroughly stirred and well-heated, the mixture will be liquid, fairly translucent, slightly thicker than water, and a bit frothy on the top. Pour the mixture into the mold of your choice, making sure not to exceed ½ inch deep. Allow to dry overnight. The next morning, check how set the molds are. I was able to take the jellies out of the mold about 18 hours after pouring. For the shape of my jellies, after I took them out of the mold, I cut them into smaller squares. Let them dry for one final night.
I love the texture and flavor, very gummy, and not tooth-ache sweet. For presentation, I rolled each individually in white sugar, which gives them a little sparkle! I left a couple dozen out on a plate, packaged the rest, and then added these pretty pink Swiss Dot personalized labels, for my own touch!
Helpful Links
- Personalized Labels • I chose the “Swiss Dots” style in Grapefruit.
- Glassine Envelopes
More homemade gift ideas from Zoe…
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I was just wondering if you’ve had any experience swapping agar for gelatine, especially in a recipe like this?
Thanks for asking, alas I haven’t tried agar at all. I would love to hear about how it works!