These are great, chewy and juicy gummies that are perfect for any gummy lover!
There is someone in my house who does not like chocolate. And that means I must find an alternative for Valentines. You know, Valentine’s Day, the day of chocolate. Everywhere I look, all I see is chocolate. There are some gummy options, but I am rapidly running out of new gifts. And I don’t want to regift the same thing repeatedly (even if it’s a year a part).
My solution is always the same. If I can’t find what I’m looking for then I should just go ahead and make it! This year, I decided to make gummy hearts for Valentine’s Day. I didn’t want them to be too small either. I ended up making them a relatively medium size. Mainly because that is the mold I liked the most.
Check out the Make section of MCG for more fun recipes like desserts and savory dishes. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think and how the recipe works for you!
Ingredients
I have made quite a few gummy recipes in search for the perfect one. They always consist of gelatin, flavoring, and water at their most base level. But additives can help increase that gummy like texture without taking away from the flavor (because gelatin can be a strong flavor).
This recipe uses two ingredients that I think are uncommon are sorbitol and citric acid. What do these ingredients do? Great question! Check out the lessons section for more because I had to do some research on this one.
Process
Creating the Gelatin Mixture
The first step of this process is treating the gelatin. We want the gelatin to bloom before putting into our mixture. Blooming the gelatin consists of letting it soak in either water or juice (I will say water from here on out).
I like the soak the gelatin in just enough water to get it wet. Too much water will flood the gelatin and make it diluted which makes setting more difficult. The gelatin should bloom in the water for about five minutes. It will become a gummy like mass after the gelatin has bloomed.
On Top of the Stove
The main cooking portion for creating gummy hearts is on top of the stove. In a single pot, I put together the remaining juice (that wasn’t used for blooming the gelatin), corn syrup, sugar, and the sorbitol.
Then it’s time to simmer! The mixture was cooking on a low to medium heat until it was simmering and then I turned up the heat to allow the sugar and sorbitol to dissolve. I also wanted to cook off some of the excess water from the juice, so I let it simmer for a bit. But make sure not to overcook it! You don’t want the sugar to caramelize!
Mix it all Together
Now it’s time to take the mixture off the stove and add in the citric acid and the bloomed gelatin. The Gelatin should dissolve into the pan as the heat from the mixture will cause it to do so. At this point, you can split up the mixture to add different flavors and coloring to each batch. If you used fruit juice, be mindful of any additional flavorings being added!
Once the mixture is fully combined, allow the mixture to cool for about ten minutes. This will allow all of the foam to come to the top of the mixture. I used a spoon to just scoop it out. Now the mixture is ready to pour!
Pouring into the molds
One optional step I like to do before pouring the mixture into the mold is to strain it. This gets ride of any excess lumps or clumps that I don’t want in my mixture. Then I poured the mixture into the molds.
I like to fill them to the brim! Pouring slowly seems to help reduce the number of bubbles but I also will use a toothpick to pop the bubbles and remove them if they show up.
Then I let these bad boys chill in the fridge for about twenty-four hours. I find that the longer I let the gummies set, the better my results are. But six hours in the minimum time needed for these gummies to set. More time just helps them stick less.
Reflections
The gummies are abosolutely fantastic!. I have attempted many gummy recipes, and these have the best texture and flavor from what I have tried so far. I will confess, they have a more jelly like quality than gummy quality. A part of me wonders if I should add more gelatin but I will continue to perfect my craft!
The flavor on these were a great surprise. I normally feel that there is a linger taste of gelatin when I make gummies but the juice added into this recipe really helped bring that fruit flavor to the forefront.
Lessons
What are these weird ingredients?
The two “weird” ingredients I used for this recipe sorbitol and citric acid.
Sorbitol has many different uses. It ranges from a sweetener, a texturizer, a softener, and a substance used to retain moisture. Sorbitol contains one third fewer calories than sugar and is sixty percent as sweet. Its moisture retaining properties make it an excellent additive for gummy recipes.
Citric acid is a weak organic acid that occurs naturally in citrus fruits. The acidity from this additive gives a sour taste and acts as a preserving agent. The preserving aspect of this ingredient is especially useful for a gummy. And a bit of a sour taste doesn’t hurt either!
recipe
Gummy Hearts
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 Tablespoon Sorbitol
- 1 Cup Glucose Syrup Corn Syrup can be substituted
- 6 Packages Gelatin
- 1 ½ Cup Fruit Juice divided, ¾ Cup water can be substituted
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Fruit Extract
- 2 Teaspoon Citric Acid
Instructions
- Combine gelatin and ¾ cup fruit juice (or ¾ Cup water) in a heatproof container and let sit for five minutes or until the gelatin has bloomed.
- In a sauce pan, combine corn syrup, sugar, ¾ cup fruit juice (optional), and sorbitol over medium to high heat. Allow to simmer and let sugar dissolve fully.
- Remove mixture from heat and stir in citric acid and gelatin mixture.
- Let the mixture sit for ten minutes and allow the foam to collect on the top. Scoop the foam off of the surface with a spoon.
- Add any coloring and flavors as desired. The mixture can be split into multiple bowls.
- Pour the mixture into the mold. Let gummy solidify in fridge (minimum of 6 hours, preferred of 24 hours).
- Enjoy!!
Do you need to keep these in the fridge? They look very pretty!
They do keep in the fridge and on the counter! We found the taste is better when kept in the fridge.