LeGummies brick shaped gummy candies

LeGummies brick shaped gummy candies
In this Instructable, I'm going to show you how to make gummy candies.

I made a silicone candy mold from Legos. You don't need to make a custom mold. There are many commercially available silicone molds, or you could just skip the mold completely and cut them with cookie cutters, a knife or even scissors.

THIS PROJECT IS NOT ENDORSED BY THE BRICK MAKER. DON'T MAKE THE MOLD OR THE CANDIES FOR SALE - FOR PERSONAL DELICIOUS GEEKY BLISS ONLY

First I'll tell you how to make the candy.

If I know the Instructables community well, then I'd say that the mold is probably going to be the thing folks are most interested in.
I WAS WRONG - IT'S THE CANDY

I'll explain in detail how I made the mold in step 4. It really is very easy. I don't think I'll make a new mold just to get photos - the silicone is very expensive (and I obviously already have one), but I'll explain it in as much detail as you need to make one yourself.

Update: User Gabebillings made the mold and the candies. He took photos of his entire mold making process. See step 4 to read his experiences and see his great documenting photos.

There are many great web pages and videos that show how to make silicone molds. The only thing that's different about this one is you need to use Food Grade Silicone.

I bought the Food Grade Silicone from Douglas & Sturgess * . They are a great San Francisco store that sells artists materials, mostly for sculpture and casting. They have some great info on their site. If you click on Ask Zardoz it takes you to a page where you can see a FAQ and even ask your own question if you can't find the answer elsewhere on the site or in the previously answered questions.

You can't sell these candies or the mold. The name is owned by Lego.

If you have kiddos that might mistake real bricks for the candy, you should consider whether it is safe to make these for them. And as they would say in Texas if said child was over 16 - "God bless their precious little hearts".

* The food grade silicone is NOT on their website. When I contacted them to warn them this was going to be published, they assured me, all you would have to do is email, or call, and they would get it to you (I don't know about international though - contact them). They are super nice, very helpful, and very smart folks. Don't be afraid to contact them. They only have one type of Food Grade Silicone, but you can use the number FGS-2237 to be sure.

Vegan option There is another kind of jelly candy called gellies or jellies. Those are made with Pectin. It's a different recipe entirely. I don't know how well they would mold though.

Here is a Pectin Fruit Jelly Instructable. I haven't tested it in the mold but it seems like it should work. Pates de Fruit
 
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Step 1Tools and Ingredients

Tools and Ingredients
When I made the candies in the picture, I experimented with many, many different techniques and recipes to figure out how to get the best flavor, texture and the clarity.

I made them in small batches so I could do many experiments.

The recipe is for a small batch (one full mold for me). You will probably want to double, triple, or quadruple it. I think it will be easier and you will have more candies that are very clear.

Recipe:

1 package of flavored Gelatin (Jello)
3 packets of Unflavored Gelatin (Knox is most common in the US - they come 4 packets to a box)
1 500 mg Vitamin C (optional but it adds some great sour flavor)
1/3 to 1/2 cup of water

Tools:

Pyrex Measuring cup
A cooking pot that the cup will fit into
Some kind of spatula.
Mold* or a flat bottom pan to pour the candy into
Mortar and Pestle (or a hammer?) to grind up the Vitamin C

In the photos you see me using a shallow pan with just about an 1" - 1 1/2" of water to melt the syrup. You should go ahead and use a pot so you can get the water level up another inch or two. I only used the shallow pan for the photos. It was just so you could see the side of the cup and what is was happening while the syrup was cooking. I use a sauce pan when I make them now. A double boiler would be ideal, but I couldn't find one in the stores I visited. They aren't as popular as they used to be.

The syringe I used to fill the mold is optional. You can just pour the candy in. I bought the syringe at Tap Plastics. You can get big syringes like this in cooking stores also. There are syringes for injecting stuff into meats. They can handle the hot syrup really well. I found the hole at the end was so small was very slow at filling the mold.

I have a metal and plastic trigger activated frosting gun. It is used to decorate cakes. I don't remember when, or where I bought it hahaha. I tend to buy tools when they are on sale and think up a use later. I've never used it to frost a cake. I decided to try it out with the gummie syrup and it worked great. That is what I use now.

(The wire strainer is not needed. I reviewed my notes on the experiments and the clearest candies - the green and red, didn't use the sifter.)

* I made a silicone mold out of Food Grade silicone. I'll talk about molds on step 4. You don't need a custom mold, or any mold at all, to make gummies.
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652 comments
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Nov 9, 2009. 9:02 PMgabebillings says:
Here are a few pictures from my moldmaking process.  The first is the Lego grid I built.  As mentioned on the main comment page I worked the volume out by counting bricks and figuring out the volume.  A 1 lb. container of silicone filled it perfectly.  Incidentally when I mixed it by weight, I had some of the smaller container left over, probably because I didn't scrape out the big container well enough.  The next two pics are just after combining the two parts, and then what it looks like mixed together.  I didn't use anything high tech for this, just a plastic knife.  There were a fair amount of bubbles in the mix, but I ignored them.  When I started pouring the mold, it wasn't moving exactly like I wanted it to.  I did a fair amount of nudging it into place with the knife.  As slow as it is to move, though, it will indeed fill all the voids and level out if you're patient.  You can see some of the larger bubbles in the last picture.  I obsessed over the bubbles, but all the big ones worked themselves out.  There will be some microscopic ones left all over the bottom, but they don't matter.  All of this was done with no prior experience or knowledge except for SFHandyman's instructions, and the mold turned out great.  If you're thinking about trying this instructable out, I urge you to do so.  It's a lot of fun.
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Dec 7, 2009. 5:49 AMbaggynosheds says:
Great Instructable!  I purchased my silicone from http://www.makeyourownmolds.com/ - I used their CopyFlex.  The only two reasons I used theirs is because the mix is a 1-to-1 ratio so I don't have to worry about how precise I am with it and they are in Cincinnati, so shipping was substantially cheaper for me here in the U.S. midwest.  1 lb. was perfect for the size of the mold I made.  I first used a little paintbrush to paint the silicone onto the lego pieces just to make sure that there was no air bubbles around the pieces themselves.  I tried to make a gummy lego dude, which actually worked better than I thought it would!  But I had to do some trimming with a knife to cut him free from the silicone and give access to free the gummy from the silicone later, but it worked pretty well.

The recipe you give for the gummies was perfect.  I tried yours and another I found online and yours worked much better.  Had a lot of trouble getting them clear though.  They ended up pretty cloudy.  Added a few pictures.  Thanks again!  Great instructable!
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Dec 9, 2009. 2:40 PMBadgerdan says:
Wow, I like the gummi man :)
I had seen that website before but unfortunately the postage for me was $36 for 1lb, still haven't found anywhere else that sells it and I'm desperate to make these. I tried emailing Douglas and Sturgess about postage but they've not bothered to reply :(

If anyone knows other places that sell the silicone please let me know.
Mar 20, 2010. 8:31 AMkcls says:
Just to let you know, douglas and sturgess have the silicone on their wbsite now. here is the link.
Mar 20, 2010. 8:34 AMkcls says:
How did that copyflex work? is it worth the 22 bucks?
Mar 22, 2010. 6:48 AMbaggynosheds says:
I thought it worked great for this.  It was easy to mix and pretty quick to set up.  I'd recommend it.
Mar 22, 2010. 9:51 AMkcls says:
Thanks! I saw some other kinds but this looked the best and easiest to use. I'll have to try it!
May 27, 2010. 11:49 PMceafin says:
Just was at douglasandsturgess.com and looks like their "Food Grade Silicone, 1 lb." has the purchase number "Code: MC-1287".

Also, glad to know someone else out there calls them "kitchen scissors" too!

Feb 2, 2012. 12:26 PMcool knex13 says:
Its funny my mum use to tell me never to eat my lego but now I can!

NOM NOM NOMMIE!
Feb 2, 2012. 9:49 AMdread says:
Would be interesting to know if anyone has tried this with a non-animal-based gelatin, such as the one used here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Vegan-Marshmallows
Jan 26, 2012. 7:30 PMlittleboogie24 says:
I am a "newbie" to instructables. Don't know how I missed this site for so long. I am very excited to have found this instructable. My daughter is part of a Lego Robotics team and I am planning on making all kinds of things, including the gummies for their end of year party. Thanks so much for all the great detailed info that you have included. I can't wait to get started. I ordered my material for the mold last night from makeyourownmolds.com.
Jan 25, 2012. 12:54 AMirwinkris says:
hi hun! love this. doubble boilers are cheep and easy to make. all you need is a large pyrex glass bowl and a pot. tada!!! grab a oven mit and away you go!
Jan 19, 2012. 3:41 PMglorrydoll says:
So will ANY silicone mold work?? Not specifically for Lego candies but diff silicone molds. Would silicone molds work for HARD candies also?
Dec 31, 2011. 11:45 PMSulfurite says:
suddenly...I want to make these.
maybe i can gift a figure made with half toy and half candy :D
Dec 20, 2011. 11:22 PMAdilane says:
Very nice!
Nov 20, 2011. 7:50 AMCandiiKorn says:
This looks very kewl
Sep 29, 2011. 4:37 PMZarubavella says:
You need to enter this in the "Play With Your Food" challenge!! This is DEFINITELY playing with your food! lol
Sep 29, 2011. 10:29 AMdont_unplug_me says:
Wait couldn't you also make a cast out of a non food grade mold making medium and make extra Legos ® out of resin or something?
Sep 7, 2011. 8:48 AMBenMillen says:
can we have some weights and measures please as im un the uk and dont have this brand, also i have different sized cups! :P

a box, a packed and a bit of water arnt measurements i can use
Sep 29, 2011. 10:20 AMdont_unplug_me says:
Try looking up the conversion rates and then tell them to the maker of this instructable so they can post it for other people using SI who want to do this.
Sep 29, 2011. 7:30 AMdeetip2003 says:
I grew up with Lego, it was and still is my choice of toy for most age groups..myself included lol I can sit and play with it forever. So coming across not only the gummies but the making of the mold also, I was more than excited. The instructions were impeccable, the information on each step was written in such a way that I'd think anyone could understand. I love the way you put your personality into it too. Awesome Job!!!!
Aug 7, 2011. 1:12 AMTevenyel says:
This is beyond awesome. I'm going to have to go buy some more legos now! Wish I'd kept my old ones... :c
Aug 2, 2011. 4:31 PMbshin1 says:
This seems great! Agar agar is also a nice alternative for the gelatin in this recipe and you don't have to worry about the stickiness. ^^
Aug 2, 2011. 1:24 PMthatsgenius says:
http://poll.pollcode.com/GFH please vote! legos or megablocks?
Aug 2, 2011. 8:41 AMmyakka says:
Make these with a hard candy substance so you can build with them then eat them when your done playing! Great project!
Jul 19, 2011. 10:55 AMgaby1st says:
Gummies are my favorites!
Jun 27, 2011. 9:03 AMssmoochy says:
I probably messed up the jello/knox mixture -- no clear layers when melting or anything. The finished product is really soft and wet (more like jello then anything else I guess. Still they took to the molds pretty well. If anyone is interested in how I made teeth/tongue molds let me know.
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May 22, 2011. 8:39 AMskirk3 says:
is the silicone that was used a soft, medium or firm type of silicone? Appreciate the tutorial, you rock!!
May 16, 2011. 10:31 AMmasterchief1257 says:
food you can play with i thought you were not supost to do that =D lol
May 12, 2011. 1:48 PMCam918 says:
These look amazing! Great idea!
May 3, 2011. 2:17 AMmischka says:
Great to see that someone has combined two of my favorite things: HARIBO and LEGO!
May 1, 2011. 4:02 PMSpieral says:
i think i found a way to get all the air out of it (use a vacuum chamber) however that is going to run you up to like $500 so if you really want it clear you probably will want to make a lot of them
Apr 23, 2011. 10:18 AMsarahfish says:
woohoo! well done

http://inspire.2ia.pl/post/4859513290/diy-lego-gummy-candies-from-sfhandyman
Apr 8, 2011. 1:26 PMslaveboy2000 says:
were do you get the mold
Sep 22, 2010. 6:25 AMdeyb1 says:
Wow! There are a lot of comments here and I'm not going to read through 523 of them, so please forgive me if this is a repeat. You can get a fairly cheap replacement for the vitamin C that doesn't include all the powder etc used for making a pill. I think it's a Jewish thing, but not being Jewish, I only have that as an anecdote. It's called sour salt. It's just a different name for Ascorbic Acid but it's cheaper because only a few people know what it is. ;) I got my at Whole Foods (a US health food grocery store) and it was more expensive, but I also got it at an Asian market where it was MUCH cheaper. If I've offended anyone, I didn't mean to, I'm just a sheltered white girl that's explored the world a bit but doesn't have the correct verbiage to convey what I'm saying politely.
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Author:SFHandyman
''If you haven't seen my Instructables, or comments, you might not know I have Onanon Disease. I go On 'n', On 'n', On...'' My hobby is collecting hobbies. I read that in Make Magazine. It fits me ...
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