It's easy to make your own raspberry gummies with real raspberries and gelatin. They're fresh and fruity, with much less sugar than store-bought gummy candies. A lovely little Valentine's treat.
Cooking with Meredith: Valentine's Treats
Making homemade fruit gummies is a fun little project - not complicated at all. Meredith and I whipped up two batches this week. The hardest part was waiting for them to set so we could pop them out of the molds and munch on them.
All we did was thaw a bag of frozen raspberries and drain out the juice. Added a bit of sugar and a squeeze of lemon, then dissolved a whole bunch of gelatin in it and poured it into candy molds. So much healthier and fresher-tasting than chemically flavoured commercial jellies.
You'll notice that the batch Meredith is holding turned out more clear than the gummies in the top picture. That's because we used a different sieve to strain each batch of berries, and one had larger holes so a bit more of the raspberry pulp came through. It didn't affect the taste at all.
Make sure to use soft silicone candy molds, not the hard plastic ones, or you'll have trouble popping them out of the molds. If you don't have molds, you can use a loaf pan and cut the gummies into little cubes.
You'll love these little raspberry gummies.
They're:
Light and fresh and fruity.
Gummy, bouncy, chewy.
Raspberry pops of flavour.
Berry bursts to savour.
Sending you hearts and kisses and Cupid's best wishes.
* * * Happy Valentine's Day to You * * *
* * * * *
Kitchen Frau Notes: We like the raspberry gummies tangy, but taste the gelatin mixture before you pour it into the molds. If you'd like them sweeter, increase the sugar to taste, up to ½ cup (100gms). You can also replace the sugar with 2 to 3 tablespoons honey.
Make sure to use individually frozen unsweetened raspberries - not the frozen blocks of sweetened berries.
Because you need such a large amount of gelatin, it would be expensive to buy individual packets. You can purchase the gelatin relatively inexpensively at a bulk food store. If you don't have access to a bulk food store, a health food store usually also carries gelatin powder (it's a bit pricier there, but still better than packets).
Silicone candy molds can be purchased at kitchen stores and Michael's Crafts. I'm sure they're available online, too.
Raspberry Gummies
- 400 grams (14oz.) frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
- ¼ cup (50gms) sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 5 tablespoons powdered gelatin
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Place the raspberries and any accumulated juice into a fine meshed sieve. Drain the juice into a measuring cup, stirring the berries and pressing down on the pulp and seeds with the back of a large spoon to extract as much juice as possible. You should have close to one cup of strained juice. Top it up with water to make one cup.
Discard the seeds and solids. You can save them to add to smoothies, or stir into yogurt with a bit of honey for a fiber-rich breakfast.
Pour the raspberry juice into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Measure out the gelatin into a cup or bowl and pour it into the raspberry juice in a steady stream while whisking constantly to avoid lumps forming.
Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly just until the gelatin granules are all dissolved. Don't let the mixture come to a boil. Add the vanilla.
Transfer the liquid to a small spouted pitcher or measuring cup. Pour it carefully into soft silicone candy molds, or let it cool until lukewarm and then pour into a loaf tin lined with plastic food wrap. Chill until completely set, about 3 hours.
Pop the gummies out of the molds. Or if using a loaf tin, lift the jellied slab onto a cutting board using the plastic wrap, and cut it into small cubes.
*You will need 4 sheets of silicone candy molds with 15 wells in each (1-teaspoon capacity). If you don't have enough candy molds for the whole batch, pour the remainder of the gelatin mixture into a small square food storage container lined with plastic food wrap and cut into cubes when set.
The raspberry gummies will keep in a sealed container, with wax or parchment paper between the layers, in the fridge for up to a week.
Makes about 60 gummies (if using 1-teaspoon sized candy molds).
Guten Appetit!
For more fun cooking projects to make with kids, see the ‘Cooking With Kids’ series here.
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Penny
Hi. Is it possible to eliminate the vanilla extract?
Is there a reason why it's used. I don't want the gummies to taste like vanilla
Could I use honey instead of sugar?
How much would I use ?
Can the gummies be frozen?
Margaret
Hi Penny, sure you can eliminate the vanilla extract. It is just there to intensify the raspberry flavour, but will be fine without it. Yes, you can also use honey. Make it to taste - usually you can replace the sugar with 1/2 to 2/3 as much honey to get the same level of sweetness. Happy gummy making!