LED Lights Gummy Candy. Edible + Glowing Candy!

This is our Instructable on making techie Edible + Glowing LED Light Gummy Candy at SoHa SMART. We make this for people to nosh on before classes and Meetups. If you put them under a black light they glow! This is because of the ingredient Quinine which is the key ingredient found in the tonic water. We mixed tonic water instead of plain water. Use our recipe as a base and tweak it from there to make any gummy glow!

Our recipe makes approximately 120 candies

Step 1: Things You Will Need...

We used some standard gum drop molds. Plastic candy molds and shaped ice cube trays woork too (small shapes work best).

Cooking spray

1 3-oz. package powdered Jell-O, any flavor. This also depends on what color you want you LED's to be. We used Jolly Rancher Green Apple Flavor.

7 packets gelatin, unflavored

1/2 cup TONIC WATER

Small saucepan

Small whisk

Wooden spoon

Useable Options:

Food Syringe

3D Printer (we used this to create the LED leads and printed in PLA which is a corn based plastic) (you could easily use 2 plastic food picks or colored toothpicks)

Blacklight bulb

Step 2: 3D Print Your LED Leads

You can use your 3D Printer to make the leads. Here is the .STL file you will need to make them from Thingiverse.

If using plastic picks or colored tooth picks skip this step.

Step 3: Create Your Gummies...

1. Spray plastic candy molds generously with cooking spray. Set molds aside.

2. Use a fork or small whisk to combine powdered Jell-O and gelatin in a saucepan. With a wooden spoon, stir in tonic water. Don’t worry if it isn’t smooth.

3. Stir mixture constantly over medium heat with the wooden spoon until the powder is completely dissolved and you feel no more grit when you stir. Do not allow mixture to heat to a boil.

4. When the powder is completely dissolved, remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture carefully into molds, being careful that the mixture does not overflow the molds.

If you have a food syringe you can utilize it now.

Step 4: Insert Your LED Leads

Allow to cool completely (about 10 minutes in refrigerator or 30 hour at room temperature) and insert your leads. You might find it easier to monitor the cooling and insert your leads earlier.