Description
These Homemade Gumdrops are a delightful, chewy treat made from simple ingredients like applesauce, gelatin, and flavored Jello. Perfectly coated in sugar for a sweet finish, they’re a fun and colorful candy to make at home without any artificial preservatives or complicated processes.
Ingredients
Scale
Gumdrops
- 2½ cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
- 6 oz flavored Jello (cherry, lime, or your choice)
- ½ oz unflavored gelatin (2 envelopes)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare baking dish: Lightly coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Set it aside for later use.
- Combine ingredients: In a large saucepan, mix together 2 cups of granulated sugar, the unsweetened applesauce, flavored Jello, unflavored gelatin, and lemon juice. Stir well to combine the ingredients evenly and let the mixture stand for 1 minute to begin hydrating the gelatin.
- Cook mixture: Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent burning and ensure smooth texture. Once it reaches a boil, continue boiling for exactly 1 minute while stirring continuously.
- Set gumdrops: Immediately pour the hot mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly. Place the dish in the refrigerator and chill until firm, which takes about 3 hours, though leaving it overnight is ideal.
- Prepare for cutting: Cover a large cutting board with parchment paper and generously sprinkle with sugar to prevent sticking. Using a spatula, carefully loosen the sides of the firm gelatin and invert the set mixture onto the sugar-coated parchment paper.
- Cut gumdrops: Use small, sharp cookie cutters in desired shapes to cut out the gumdrops. To make cutting easier, dip the cutters in hot water before each use and rinse them periodically to keep them clean and prevent sticking.
- Dry gumdrops: Leave the cut gumdrops on top of the sugared parchment paper for approximately 8 hours or until they become just slightly sticky to the touch.
- Coat and store: Roll each gumdrop in the remaining ½ cup of sugar to coat thoroughly. Store the finished gumdrops in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
Notes
- For best flavor, use your favorite Jello flavor or mix several flavors for colorful gumdrops.
- Dipping cookie cutters in hot water helps to make clean cuts and prevents the gumdrops from sticking to the cutter.
- Letting the gumdrops dry for about 8 hours helps develop their classic chewy texture.
- Store the gumdrops in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- These gumdrops are naturally gluten-free and contain no added sugars besides what is listed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 gumdrop
- Calories: 25
- Sugar: 6.5 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6.5 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0.3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
