Ingredients:
1.75 oz powdered fruit pectin
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons raspberry extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
red food coloring
Directions:
Warning: the first half of the recipe needs to be completed the day before you want to eat the candy.
Grease a loaf pan. Stir together pectin, water and baking soda in small pan. Cook on high heat. At the same time, bring the sugar and corn syrup to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. When it reaches boiling, add the pectin mixture. Cook for about 1 additional minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add extract and food coloring, stirring to incorporate. Pour into the prepared pan and allow to cool, loosely covered, overnight on the counter. The next day invert the pan on to a platter or plate full of sugar. If you have trouble unmolding the candy, use a sharp knife to loosen it from the perimeter of the pan and carefully slide your fingers underneath the candy to gently peel the candy out of the pan. Press both sides of the candy into the sugar. Slice the candy into 1/4 inch slices, then cut each slice into 1/4 inch cubes. Roll each cube in sugar. Allow to sit an additional hour before packaging or serving. I packaged some of mine in candy bags to give as gifts and the rest is stored in Tupperware.
My thoughts:
I saw raspberry extract in the store for the first time this week. I went home wondering what I could make with it when suddenly it hit me. I could make fruit candy! I went back to the store and bought the extract and a box of fruit pectin. I figured that jelly candy was really just very solid jelly with no fruit chunks in it, so I proofed the pectin, stirred it into a sugar syrup and voila! Jelly candy! I was a little amazed it worked but it did. Best of all, it doesn’t require the use of a candy thermometer or any technical know-how. I made it in under 10 minutes and it is prettier and tastier than any store bought jelly candy could hope to be.
Update: Thanks for all the comments! Several people have already written to me saying they have made this recipe and loved it. I love to hear success stories. To answer a question I was email a few times: fruit pectin is used in making jams and jellies. In the warmer months it is often stored near canning supplies. Since it is winter, my store moved it to the baking isle, near the sugar, on a very high shelf. If you can’t find it, ask for it. They might have it in back since it is no longer prime canning season.
Oh, yum. I love raspberries! It’s so pretty, too, to sit out at the holidays.
I always thought those were made with gelatine *shrug*
Sorry I’m using another account…blogger beta isn’t allowing comments.
-Jeff
cforcooking.com
Jeff: I thought that at first too, but I didn’t want a Jell-o texture. The pectin gave it more of a gummy worm/gumdrop type texture. Firm, but gel-like.
I LOVE you!!! Oh my god, I was just thinking that I wanted to find a recipe for fruit jelly candies – and now I have one!
I love this! I can’t wait to make these!
P.S. What store had the extract? I’ve never seen it!
also, if there was no extract, could you sub something else?
Meghan: I bought it at Safeway. It was McCormick’s. You could sub any other extract and it would work.
Another great recipe Rachel. My kids would be all over this! I make hard candy all the time, but never soft, gummy type candy. And Raspberry flavor to boot…. yummy!
Those have a fantasitc color…wow.
Lovely creations!
Those are so cool! I’ve never made anything like that. Perfect for sending along with your sister-in-law. I can’t believe they’re so easy. I want to try your candied tangerine peel.
I am so loving what you’re been making lately, great idea.
wow, how beautuful! i love all the candies you’v been making. yummmy yummy. i am way impressed!!!
Raspberry jellies are one of my vices but I’ve never even thought of trying to make it myself. What a great idea!
yum! My husband made some jellies for his students for Halloween but they weren’t nearly this pretty (probably because they had lemon and lime zest floating in them). These are gorgeous!
The Jelly Candy looks wonderful. I look forward to trying this recipe, hopefully in the near future 🙂 I’m always on the lookout for vegan-friendly candy recipes. I’m going to keep an eye out for raspberry extract!!
No fruit pectin, only geletine at my usual grocery store. What grocery store chains carry it? Kathy
Kathy,
I found it last night in my SuperFresh. It wasnt where the gelatin was… it was actually where they sell Bell canning jars. Did you ask around? It wasn’t in the baking section or anything…
Kathy: fruit pectin is used to make jelly and jam so it might be near canning, or near sugar. I bought it at Safeway and it was near the baking stuff but if you have a canning section, it might be there or even near jelly.
Fantastic! I have visions of making chocolate-covered orange jellies in my head! Oh, and rose flavoured jellies, like turkish delight! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
I made these this weekend! I also found cinnamon and orange extract, in addition to raspberry, so I made those too. Thanks so much!
I absolutely cannot wait to try these. What did you use to grease your pan – butter or vegetable oil?
Tonia: I used spray oil.
I just found your recipe and it was exactly what I was looking for! I make mine with home made key lime extract and than I added some finely zested key limes. Delicious!
this is great I made an orange flavored and used orange juice instead of water and set it on a syruped pound cake.pour ganache over the top and it was like a Jaffa Cake
Rachel – Would the Lorann flavoring oils work instead of the extract?
I’ve never had them before, Tonia so I am not sure but it would be worth a shot, I think.
I tried this recipe last night and was disappointed to find that it did not set firmly when I turned it out on a plate this morning. The recipe is not totally clear though whether you continue to cook the pectin mixture on high heat the entire time you are waiting for the sugar/corn syrup mixture to come to a rolling boil? My pectin mixture was boiling madly and the sugar/corn syrup mixture was not even beginning to boil so I reduced the heat slightly on the pectin-perhaps that was my mistake?
Anon- I always just make it the same way it is described here and it turns out great-I am not sure what you did. Are you sure the sugar mixture was at rolling boil?
I’ve been looking for a base recipe from which to start in order to make sugarless Cinnamon Bears. The grocery-store ones are made from starch (“modified food starch”). I figure it’d be safer to my BMI to pig out on “soluble fiber” pectin rather than starch, though.
Looks like this recipe may work as a start. Thanks!
P.S. Re: Gummy Worms – they are actually made from gelatin, so it should also be possible to get the same texture using it as well as pectin.
I made these using lemon zest and lemon juice. These were great. I bought my extracts at my local grocery store the small ones were 99 cents. I think they are called LorAnnes or something like that. I am going to try them today with Tutti Fruitti, Tangerine, and Cranberry extract. Yum-O.
These look really good? Do you think that there is something other then corn syrup that would work in it's place? (Most corn syrup has high fructose corn syrup, which is something I try to stay off of.)I'll play around with the recipe a bit as well. Thanks! Will be watching your site more often!
Amanda-
Nothing else really works in this recipe but corn syrup. It isn't a recipe that takes well to tinkering or variations. I buy and use corn syrup that is high fructose corn syrup free.
I made chocolate-covered raspberry, lemon, and orange jellies with this recipe and had them at my wedding reception.
I am so excited to try this. Thank you so much. I am going to make this for my daughters 1 year birthday. The family will love it. Thank you thank you thank you.
I'm so excited to try this recipe for the holidays! Do you think I could cool the mixture in a larger pan so I have a thinner sheet of candy that I can cut into shapes with cookie cutters and then roll them in sugar?
Thanks for posting this recipe! I tried an alternate version yesterday that I came across- Its was almost identical, but called for use of a thermometer and slightly different technique. I have to say this version seems to be working out better for me (haven't made the cubes yet:).
The only changes that I made were the use of LorAnn oils- I had a variety of their natural flavorings on hand. I used 3/4 tsp lemon oil in one batch, and 1 tsp of blueberry in another batch.
I also added about 2 tbs of citric acid to both the lemon and blueberry batches I don't think it's affecting the gel at all, but it does add a slight zing to the flavor which I prefer. I just used the Ball brand, think the product is called Fruit-Fresh.
I would like to know if anyone out there knows where I can buy corn syrup that does not have high-fructose corn syrup in it.
Thanks again for the post- I love, love, love it!
Going to make grapefruit, pomegranite, and a bajillion other variations!!
Antoinette-
I have not had success making it in a larger pan.
I made these and they turned out excellent! I followed the recipe exactly and was thrilled that they actually worked. I tried to make them again with orange flavor and so far haven't had any luck! First I used Sure-Jell and orange oil and it never set up then I used Sure-Jell and orange strafe and they didn't set up. So I tried using Ball brand pectin and the orange extract. I'll have to wait until tomorrow evening to see if it is going to work. When I made the raspberry ones, I used the Ball brand pectin and as I said earlier, they were awesome so I have my fingers crossed for the orange!
I made these and they turned out excellent! I followed the recipe exactly and was thrilled that they actually worked. I tried to make them again with orange flavor and so far haven't had any luck! First I used Sure-Jell and orange oil and it never set up then I used Sure-Jell and orange strafe and they didn't set up. So I tried using Ball brand pectin and the orange extract. I'll have to wait until tomorrow evening to see if it is going to work. When I made the raspberry ones, I used the Ball brand pectin and as I said earlier, they were awesome so I have my fingers crossed for the orange!
Does anyone know if you can use silcone mold to mold the jellies into shapes. I have heart shaped silicone ice cube trays and would love to make the jellies for Valentine's Day to give as gifts.
Anon
I have not had success using molds.
I am going to give these a try for Easter. Going to roll them in nonpareils. Raspberries, Lime, Lemon. can't wait!!
I can't wait to make this!!! Thanks!
These are on my counter right now cooling. I can't wait! I'll definitely link back to you! Thanks for the recipe!
when i was a child I would poke the bottom of the chocolates my dad would bring home to find the rasberry jellied ones,i hope this will be the filling I remember.thank you so much
I found lorann cola flavored oil recently and im going to try making those gummy coke bottles! yum !!!
I can't wait to try this recipe. What brand of pectin did you use? Thanks Lynda!
I don't remember what the brand was when I made this 6 years ago but all powdered pectin is virtually identical.
I want to make a chocolate cake with orange frosting between the layers. If I lessened the pectin in the recipe, do you think it would be spreadable? My favorite candy is chocolate covered fruit gel and I really think it would make an amazing dessert?
It won't really be spreadable. Try my orange jam recipe instead.
Yes, the flavor was great.
Would using fruit juice instead of water affect the gel set. I tried this two days ago using raspberry juice and it didnt set after 36 hrs. Flavor was great tho!!
Yes, it can. Water provides more consistent results.
Do any of you know a way to use pectin to make an Aplet-type apple and walnut chewy confection like an apple-walnut Turkish delight? I played with a recipe and had great taste but only moderate success with the set…I reduced a 12oz can of unsweetened frozen apple juice to about 1/2 cup, added 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce and 1/3 c walnuts… set is not great…did not want to add more sugar since the natural sweetness was so rich. But maybe pectin needs the sugar to set… Ideas? A recipe with gelatin was too sticky at room temp.
Aplets are regional, so I haven’t had them. Is it some sort of nougat-based candy.