Homemade gummies with the same texture as storebought
February 28, 2014 5:29 AM Subscribe
Help me make home made gummies/gumdrops/sweedish fish that have the same or at least very similar texture to store bought ones. It is my birthday next week. If you can help me with this you'd be giving me the best birthday present ever.
The reason why I need to make my own is because the storebought ones invariably give me a bad stomach ache. I suspect it is a gluten thing, but I could just be reacting to some other ingredient in the gummies. Before I write all gummies off as a "Never Again" thing I want to try to make them myself at home.
Before anyone suggests it, the Jell-o with extra gelatin gummies people pimp online are not what I am looking for. Every description I have read make them sound more rubbery than gummy, and there are always a lot of comments saying how the texture is different from storebought. I figure since I hate Jell-o and since I extra hate Jell-o jigglers, those would probably be small bits of hell to me. Maybe there is some other ingredient I could add to the jell-o recipe to keep it from being rubbery and be closer to the texture I'm looking for?
My best case scenario would be a sweedish fish texture. They are solid, not sticky, but can be pulled apart and have a really satisfying bite. Gumdrop texture, you know? I'd prefer not to have the sugar coated kind, but I am willing to give on that if it means I can have some gummies. I also would love to make a properly authentic gummy bear type thing but my priority is more gumdrop/sweedish fish/dinosour type candies.
Oh, and licorice. That stuff gives me LEGENDARY stomach aches (definitely the gluten in this case) so if you have a killer copy cat recipe for cherry licorice please pass that along as well. I tried this recipe but it just ended up like weird cherry-ish toffee or something. Tasty, but NOT licorice.
This is my deepest birthday wish. Please help. I miss candy so much. I miss candy more than I miss pan rolls, and I REALLY miss pan rolls.
The reason why I need to make my own is because the storebought ones invariably give me a bad stomach ache. I suspect it is a gluten thing, but I could just be reacting to some other ingredient in the gummies. Before I write all gummies off as a "Never Again" thing I want to try to make them myself at home.
Before anyone suggests it, the Jell-o with extra gelatin gummies people pimp online are not what I am looking for. Every description I have read make them sound more rubbery than gummy, and there are always a lot of comments saying how the texture is different from storebought. I figure since I hate Jell-o and since I extra hate Jell-o jigglers, those would probably be small bits of hell to me. Maybe there is some other ingredient I could add to the jell-o recipe to keep it from being rubbery and be closer to the texture I'm looking for?
My best case scenario would be a sweedish fish texture. They are solid, not sticky, but can be pulled apart and have a really satisfying bite. Gumdrop texture, you know? I'd prefer not to have the sugar coated kind, but I am willing to give on that if it means I can have some gummies. I also would love to make a properly authentic gummy bear type thing but my priority is more gumdrop/sweedish fish/dinosour type candies.
Oh, and licorice. That stuff gives me LEGENDARY stomach aches (definitely the gluten in this case) so if you have a killer copy cat recipe for cherry licorice please pass that along as well. I tried this recipe but it just ended up like weird cherry-ish toffee or something. Tasty, but NOT licorice.
This is my deepest birthday wish. Please help. I miss candy so much. I miss candy more than I miss pan rolls, and I REALLY miss pan rolls.
The secret ingredient that makes Swedish fish gummy yet vegetarian is carnuaba wax rather than geletin. Searching for recipes just gets me people making natural versions who are upset that such things are in their candy. However, Wikipedia says Swedish Fish are a kind of "wine gum", so perhaps this would be helpful? They cut the gelatin with cornstarch, which might help those texture problems you're worried about. Good luck!
posted by theweasel at 6:05 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by theweasel at 6:05 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Try dusting in corn starch instead of sugar. How do you feel about Turkish Delight? You could alter the flavor (vanilla, fruit) and maybe increase the thickening agent. I love gummies, but am picky about which ones have the 'right' texture. I love Swedish fish, and TD is softer but has a similar sort of waxy texture and pulls apart in a similar way.
The jell-o thing is a nightmare, not the same at all!
Are you after a traditional type licorice, a red vines type thing, or a twizzler type thing?
posted by jrobin276 at 6:48 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
The jell-o thing is a nightmare, not the same at all!
Are you after a traditional type licorice, a red vines type thing, or a twizzler type thing?
posted by jrobin276 at 6:48 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Twizzler or Super Nibs type thing
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 6:58 AM on February 28, 2014
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 6:58 AM on February 28, 2014
The pates de frutes look good. After going down the gummy rabbit hole a bit, it looks like gelatin is the common theme in gummies I Don't Like. I think pectin is going to give much better results, perhaps acceptable. Carnuaba wax sounds like the secret ingredient though.
Twizzlers don't have any gelatin, and god, I love twizzlers. This recipe looks promising: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-red-cherry-licorice/
Good luck!
posted by jrobin276 at 7:15 AM on February 28, 2014
Twizzlers don't have any gelatin, and god, I love twizzlers. This recipe looks promising: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/gluten-free-red-cherry-licorice/
Good luck!
posted by jrobin276 at 7:15 AM on February 28, 2014
No personal experience, but agar agar is another vegan option.
posted by oceano at 7:23 AM on February 28, 2014
posted by oceano at 7:23 AM on February 28, 2014
Damn, I found the same recipe you did!
Sorry! I have no idea how much candy you've made, but it could be worth trying again (esp if you omitted the xantham gun, or didn't have a candy thermometer). I've had candy ruined by weather.
There is a mention that Swedish Fish are gluten free... can you eat these? The answer might help narrow ingredients.
posted by jrobin276 at 7:40 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Sorry! I have no idea how much candy you've made, but it could be worth trying again (esp if you omitted the xantham gun, or didn't have a candy thermometer). I've had candy ruined by weather.
There is a mention that Swedish Fish are gluten free... can you eat these? The answer might help narrow ingredients.
posted by jrobin276 at 7:40 AM on February 28, 2014 [1 favorite]
Gellan is also a vegetarian gelling agent that will provide a chewy, not melty, texture.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:02 AM on February 28, 2014
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:02 AM on February 28, 2014
i have not tried this recipe, but my wife stumbled upon it on this gluten-free blog:
http://www.elanaspantry.com/gummy-bears/
posted by rock'em sock'em puppets at 4:43 PM on March 1, 2014
http://www.elanaspantry.com/gummy-bears/
posted by rock'em sock'em puppets at 4:43 PM on March 1, 2014
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I have made a number of things on candy.about.com and think it's a solid source of recipes, but unfortunately everything there titled 'gummy' leads one straight off into the six boxes of Jell-O problem and I side with your skepticism. The major manufacturers use gelatin but with other things that don't seem to show up in the gummy recipes on-line, most notably starch. If you scroll down this page to "JELLY / GUMMY CANDY from scratch" there is a recipe that uses pectin; I have no first-hand experience with it, though.
posted by kmennie at 5:48 AM on February 28, 2014 [2 favorites]