Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable (30 page)

General Description:

Gumdrops are small, very chewy, jellylike candies that come in a rainbow of colors and flavors
. They are typically rounded on one end like a thimble and rolled in granulated sugar for a sparkling appearance. Gumdrops come in a variety of fruit flavors; sometimes they are spiced and called
spice drops
.

History:

The origins of gumdrops are unclear; they appear to be another variant of gelatin-based candies that have remained popular over the years because of their distinctive shape and useful decorative properties. In the 1940s, one popular recipe among American housewives was gumdrop cake, which featured gumdrops baked into a spiced cake. Baskin-Robbins once had an ice cream flavor named Goody Goody Gumdrop, which featured gumdrops mixed into a tutti-frutti ice cream. However, the gumdrops froze too hard in the ice cream, and the company dropped the flavor. In America, February 15 is National Gumdrop Day.

Serving Suggestions:

Gumdrops can be eaten out of the hand, but they are also popularly used as decorations for gingerbread houses at Christmastime.

Candy-Making Notes:

Candy molds can be used instead of a baking pan. You can substitute fruit pectin for the gelatin.

Recipe:

1.
Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with a piece of foil long enough to hang over the edges and act as handles. Grease foil with cooking spray.

2.
Combine the gelatin, sugar, and ½ cup water in a saucepan.

3.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and gelatin dissolve.

4.
Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.

5.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Let set overnight until firm.

6.
Use mini cookie cutters or a knife heated under hot water to cut the gumdrops into squares or other shapes. Roll in sugar.

Yield:

About 60 gumdrops

Storage:

Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Variation:

Sour Gumdrops

After you cut the gumdrops into shapes in step 6, roll them in
sherbet powder
for tangy, sour gummy snacks.

Gumdrop Critters

Cut gumdrops with kitchen shears to create sticky surfaces for joining them together. Use a toothpick to make indentations, then insert sprinkles as eyes and noses.

General Description:

These fruit-flavored, chewy candies shaped like adorable teddy bears launched a trend of molded gummy candy
. Typically made with gelatin, gummy bears (or
gummi bears
) have a firm, almost rubbery texture and come in a rainbow of colors corresponding with their flavors. The original maker of gummy bears, Haribo, still sells them around the world. With bear-shaped candy molds, you can make your own at home.

History:

Hans Riegel invented gummy bears in Bonn, Germany in 1922. Originally he called them
dancing bears
, but later changed them to
gummibarachen
, meaning “small rubber bears.” The candy was a huge success, and his candy company, Haribo (an acronym for Hans Riegel Bonn), began selling the treats in North America in the 1980s. These little candies also inspired a 1985 Disney cartoon series:
The Adventures of the Gummi Bears
.

Serving Suggestions: