Gummy bears are candies with a sweet flavor made of gelatin and sweeteners, among other things. Even though gummy bear candies come in numerous shapes, they often take the form of bears.
Making your gummy bears is a beautiful way to enjoy these chewy, vibrant candies whenever you want, if you’re a fan. Both children and adults adore homemade gummy bears and creating them are surprisingly easy. Making your gummy candies is enjoyable and simple, and one pack provides enough for the entire family. Some of the most straightforward candy to create at home are gummy bears. To make these sweet treats, you need water, sugar, gelatin, and flavoring. You don’t need expensive machinery or unusual ingredients to make DIY gummy bears because water and gelatin naturally form a chewy candy when combined, heated, and cooled. Gummy bear molds are required to create bear shapes.
Common Ingredients Used to Make Gummy Bears
You should carefully select the components to make gummy bears based on your target market. Implies that the ingredients used to make vegetarian gummy bears differ from those used to make non-vegetarian gummy bears. These are the primary components you will typically need to make gummy bears.
1. Gelatin – For gummy bears, you’ll utilize edible gelatin, especially for those who eat animal products. Boiling down animal parts like skin and bones yields a material known as gelatin.
2. Acidic citrus – If you want the gummy bears to last longer on the shelf, you could add citric acid to the mixture. The gummy bears’ freshness will be preserved for a long time thanks to this effective preservative.
3. Water – Water is a versatile solvent that will be useful for combining all the elements to make gummy bears. It serves as a lubricant in addition to being a solvent, so you should think about putting it in more minor potions.
4. Starch – The volume and mass of the gummy bears will also rise with the addition of starch to the mixture. In addition, starch will make the gummy bears more nutritious, which will help the body grow.
5. Sweeteners – Gelatin is frequently odorless and tasteless; thus, sweeteners will be added to enhance the gummy bear candy’s flavor. Most sweeteners are from sugarcane, beets, or sucrose alternatives like fructose.
6. Corn Syrup – Corn syrup is a crucial component that will aid the gummy bears’ ability to retain moisture. Softening them and increasing the volume also enhances the texture of the gummy bears. Additionally, it will improve the flavor of the gummy bears and stop the sugar in the mixture from crystallizing.
7. Color or Dye – You can choose from a wide range of hues and tones to enhance the gummy bears’ pigment. Food coloring is the ideal ingredient to alter the gummy bears’ colors.
8. Flavors – To give the gummy candy a distinctive flavor and aroma, you must use several flavors. Make sure the fruit flavors and colors match each other naturally. Red colors, for instance, should go well with raspberry flavors, whereas yellow hues go well with lemon ones.
How to Make a Homemade Gummy Candy
Gummy candies are not only easy to make, but you can also make them using different ingredients that are delicious and healthy. You can make gummy candy using the commercially made gummy mix or with your favorite; nevertheless, you may also try a healthy option using some natural ingredients; here is how to make them.
1. Jell-O Gummy
You only need three essential ingredients to create a homemade gummy with Jell-O: your chosen flavor of Jell-O, unflavored gelatin, two 0.25 oz packets for each box of Jell-o/flavor gummy bear, and water. If you don’t have cornstarch on hand, you can still make gummy bears since you may use it to dust the molds and gently coat the completed candies to prevent excessive sticking. To make this quick gummy Jell-O, you’ll need gummy bear molds, a silicone pastry brush, a measuring cup, and a pot for mixing your ingredients.
Before making Jell-O gummies, lightly cover your silicone molds with cornstarch before using them. Then, put the water, gelatin, and Jello in a pot. Stir everything together over low heat until all the powder has been dissolved. Allow the liquid to cool just enough to handle it safely without setting it. Filling the molds using a dropper keeps everything organized and spotless. After the molds have been filled, let them cool before lightly sprinkling cornstarch over the top. You may then remove your gummy bears from the mold by placing them in the refrigerator to set, which should take 15 to 20 minutes.
The main component in gummy bears that gives them their distinctively bouncy texture and ability to bounce back after being squashed is gelatin. The gummies have the correct texture and taste thanks to Jello and unflavored gelatin, eliminating the need for many other ingredients.
2. Organic Gummy Candy
This recipe for handmade gummy bears makes a tasty and nutritious snack. They are easy to prepare and do not include any harmful chemicals. You will need 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, one tablespoon fresh lemon juice, two teaspoons raw honey, and three tablespoons unflavored gelatin to make homemade orange gummy bears. At the same time, you will need 2 /3 cups of pureed strawberries for the strawberry-flavored gummy bears and 1/ 2 cups of pureed blueberries and filtered water for the blueberry-flavored gummy bears.
First, mix all the ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, excluding the gelatin. Use a whisk to stir. Stir continuously as you gradually incorporate the gelatin into the liquid. It’s best not to add the gelatin to the pan all at once because this will result in large globs of gelatin remaining in the final dish. Once the gelatin has melted entirely, and all ingredients have been thoroughly blended, cook over medium-low heat. When all the gelatin has dissolved, the mixture will transition from a grainy, jelly-like consistency to a more glassy, smooth one. Place it on a cookie sheet to make the gummy bear shape easier to move once filled without leaking. Pour the mixture into the silicone mold, then freeze it for 20 to 30 minutes.
After removing them from the mold, store homemade gummy bears in an airtight container. For a few weeks, they can be stored in the refrigerator. If you don’t have silicone molds, you may pour the batter into a baking dish coated with coconut oil. Once the mixture has dried, you may cut it into any shape you choose using a knife or a cookie cutter.
This organic recipe for gummy bears can be made in any flavor by combining various amounts of freshly squeezed juices or fruit purees. However, it is not recommended to use pineapple because it includes enzymes that cause the gelatin to break down in the gelatin and prevent it from setting.
3. Commercial Homemade Gummy
To achieve the perfect, store-bought taste and texture in your gummies, you’ll need a few harder-to-find items and premium gelatin; pre-measure your ingredients to produce traditional “Gold Bears” (known as 250 bloom). For more precise results, weigh your ingredients rather than measure them by volume. Timing is crucial when preparing candies, so weigh them out beforehand and have them on hand so you can mix them quickly. This traditional gummy bear recipe calls for the following ingredients: 12 grams of food-grade essential oil, any flavor, 15 grams of tartaric or citric acid, 250 grams of bloom, 140 milliliters of water, 225 grams of sugar, 22.5 grams of sorbitol powder, and 245 grams of glucose syrup.
Combine water and gelatin using a whisk or a water bath, just like old-fashioned candy makers. Directly in the pot over low heat, stir the water and gelatin until the gelatin dissolves if using a whisk. Prepare a big basin of water for the bath by heating it until it is hot but not boiling. Put the Ziplock bag containing the 70 ounces of gelatin and 140 milliliters of water in the water bath for 30 minutes. After thoroughly combining, the bag should be free of lumps or streaks.
On medium heat, combine sugar, sorbitol, and glucose syrup. The ingredients should be thoroughly blended but shouldn’t boil or bubble. Get them to 150 °F on a candy thermometer if you have one. Slowly incorporate your gelatin mixture. Add the previously combined gelatin and water while the heat is still on. Turn off the heat and swiftly proceed to the following step after stirring until everything is thoroughly combined.
Add any flavorings you choose. Juice, flavoring acids like citric or tartaric acid, flavored oils, or extracts can all be used to flavor gelatin. Additionally, you can include 1/3 cup of well-pureed fruit, such as strawberries. For instance, if you want to add a burst of citrus taste, lime, lemon, or orange juice are all excellent options. Try a flavoring oil or extract, like cherry, orange, or vanilla extract, for a more distinctive taste. Since some essential oils are toxic when consumed, if you use one, make sure it is labeled as “edible” or “food grade.” Any food coloring should be added at this time.
CONCLUSION
Making your gummy bears is a beautiful way to enjoy these chewy, vibrant candies whenever you want, if you’re a fan. Both children and adults adore homemade gummy bears and creating them are surprisingly easy. They are reasonably priced and accessible. The quantity will change depending on whether you use smaller or larger molds. The recipe can easily be multiplied or made in many batches using various ingredients. The fact that some gummy bears recipes don’t include the preservatives found in shop-bought candy makes them even better, so if you’re stocking up, be careful to preserve them correctly.