In this Instructable, I'm going to show you how to make gummy candies.
I made a silicone candy mold using Lego bricks. 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 LEGO. 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.
I'll explain in detail how I made the mold in step 4. It really is very easy. User Gabebillings made the mold and documented the process in photos. See the first comment under step 4 to read his experience and see his photos.
User ibeschieru made a "making of" video showing his kids creating Lego shaped gummy candies! http://vimeo.com/36217289
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 have kiddos that might mistake real bricks for the candy, you should consider whether it is safe to make these for them.
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
I made a silicone candy mold using Lego bricks. 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 LEGO. 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.
I'll explain in detail how I made the mold in step 4. It really is very easy. User Gabebillings made the mold and documented the process in photos. See the first comment under step 4 to read his experience and see his photos.
User ibeschieru made a "making of" video showing his kids creating Lego shaped gummy candies! http://vimeo.com/36217289
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 have kiddos that might mistake real bricks for the candy, you should consider whether it is safe to make these for them.
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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Signing UpStep 1: 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 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.
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
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 with higher sides, so you can get the water level up another inch or two.
I used the shallow pan so it would be easier to see what was happening in the photos. 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 in the photos 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 but have a very small hole at the tip.
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. I tend to buy tools when they are on sale, and think up a use later. I decided to try it out with the gummy syrup and it worked great. That is what I use now.
(The wire strainer in the photos is not needed. I reviewed my notes on the experiments and the clearest candies - the green and red, didn't use the strainer.)
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.
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 cupA 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 with higher sides, so you can get the water level up another inch or two.
I used the shallow pan so it would be easier to see what was happening in the photos. 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 in the photos 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 but have a very small hole at the tip.
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. I tend to buy tools when they are on sale, and think up a use later. I decided to try it out with the gummy syrup and it worked great. That is what I use now.
(The wire strainer in the photos is not needed. I reviewed my notes on the experiments and the clearest candies - the green and red, didn't use the strainer.)
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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!
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.
The lego man is great!
Thank you for your tips and sharing the photos.
I added Step 5 that details the process I came up with that makes almost perfectly clear candies.
Thanks
Sorry they haven't replied to your question. I think they are set up more as a business to business supplier, but they do have 1 retail store and it is here in San Francisco. I think most of the materials they ship out of their warehouse and over the website are larger industrial quantities. That isn't to say they should neglect you. I'm sorry that happened.
The guys in the store are Awesome. I'm sure it was just an oversight. (I thought I'd replied to you days ago but just realized it hadn't posted!)
Thanks
Also, glad to know someone else out there calls them "kitchen scissors" too!
Thanks for the code update. It has changed a few times.
Here is how I make them perfectly clear:
I crush the vitamin c, dissolve it in water, let it drip through a coffee filter, then use the resulting clear liquid to sour the candies.
If it isn't the vitamin c making them cloudy, then it is probably because you are stirring too vigorously. You have to be very careful not to push air down into the syrup when stirring. Don't ever stir the foam back into the candy.
The other cloudy problem is from not letting it melt long enough. Just let it sit and mello in the boiler. The longer it stays, the more clear liquid gathers on the bottom.
https://vimeo.com/36217289
This is amazing. You are amazing.
Thank you, thank you a thousand times, for building a tutorial even the most helpless among us (me) can follow.
I'm throwing a Black Tie Gummi Tasting and thought it might be neat to build my own gummis. I'm making gummi Venus de Milos, gummi Octopi and gummi unicorns (complete with edible glitter, if I can ever get the gummis to come out clear).
Quick question for you though... Do you have any idea how long these gummis will keep?
Party sounds awesome.
Google didn't help much...
depends on the temperature of your hard candy recipe when pouring... we make rock candy and it has a super high temp at pouring so we can only use tempered silicone molds...
check the mold/silicone before you get it, it will say tempered or not... if your candy doesn't have to reach boiling before you pour it, you are probably ok to use any candy molds
Hey, I tried to do the gummies but I panicked in the middle of the melting process. I started wondering if I had the amounts right.
Do you happen to have the recipe with grams or some kind of measurement?
Don't be afraid of the candy though. You can remelt the gelatin again. Just finish the melting. Cast some candy. Let it cool and test the texture. If it is too soft add either more plain gelatin, or flavored gelatin. If it is too hard, add more water. Then remelt the whole batch and try again. It doesn't hurt it to remelt and adjust.