Gumdrop candy is associated with Christmas in many countries. 

Gumdrops are used to decorate gingerbread houses.They’re also part of The Nutcracker, a popular ballet that’s performed at Christmastime.  In the ballet, sugarplum fairies and gumdrops dance.  Visions of dancing candy got me to thinking of making gumdrops for Christmas this year.

Most of the gumdrop candy you buy in the store or find recipes for include food dye.  I try to avoid using artificial coloring, so I came up with this gumdrop recipe that uses all-natural fruit juice instead of food dyes.  There’s also a little less sugar in this recipe than the typical one. Here’s it is….

Recipe for Gumdrops (Made with Natural Juice)

3 (1 ounce) Packets of Plain Gelatin
1/3 cup Water
3/4 cup All-Natural Juice (I used Concord Grape Juice)
1 1/2 cups of Sugar

1. Thoroughly mix the packets of gelatin with 1/3 cup of water.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes.

2.  Spray an 8 x 8" glass pan with cooking spray.  Use a paper towel to spread the spray evenly around the pan if needed.

3.  Bring juice to a boil in a small pot and add the gelatin mixture.  Stir until the gelatin is dissolved.

4.  Add sugar and simmer for about 15 – 20 minutes, stirring often while the mixture thickens.

5.  Pour juice mixture into pan.  Let sit until cool.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 days.

6.  Use a smooth knife to gently loosen the edges of the hardened mixture from the pan.  Cut the square in half to make the candy into 2 big pieces.  Then use a wide bladed spatula to remove each piece from the pan and place on a plate.  Cut the hardened candy mixture into 1" squares. 

7.  Dip each square into a bowl of sugar to coat the candy on all sides. 

8.  Put the candy in a container, separating each layer of candy with wax paper.  Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

There’s a traditional kids song about gumdrops with this great line: "If all the raindrops were lemon drops and gumdrops".  You can find the lyrics to If All the Raindrops with some videos at the link.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

P.S. Later I made yummy Anisette Gumdrops for adults.  Check out the recipe at the link.