I love making nostalgic treats with a healthy twist. I was so excited when my neighbor told me how she made homemade gummy bears with juice and grass-fed gelatin. I gave it a try but unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. The flavor was much too subtle for my liking.
When I think of gummy bears I think of a small chewy treat packed with a punch of flavor. I became a little obsessed with making the perfect gummy bears – ones that were made with real food that were just as addictive as the processed stuff, with the perfect balance of tanginess to sweetness, the kind that my children will love without me suffering the consequences of their sugar high.
I experimented using different juices, adding pureed fruit, trying different ratios of juice to gelatin and after multiple attempts, finally came up with the perfect recipe. My secret to getting that nice strong flavor without adding unnatural flavorings is using fruit juice concentrate.
Since I don’t use a bear mold and the texture of these snacks are a little different than the processed gummy bears that we are used to, I prefer to call them “Gummy Fruit Snacks.”
These Gummy Fruit Snacks are super easy to make and a perfect activity to do with your kids. It only takes 3 ingredients and about 10 minutes of your time. All you do is heat the juice mixture, slowly stir in the gelatin, pour the mixture in the mold, let it set, and enjoy!
They should last about 1-2 weeks but I wouldn’t really know because they don’t last very long in my house!
Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks
Ingredients
- 12 oz 100% juice concentrate my favorite flavors are grape and orange
- ½ cup water
- 2 Tablespoon maple syrup if you prefer a sweeter flavor
- 6 Teaspoons unflavored grass fed gelatin I use Great Lakes Gelatin
Instructions
- Combine the juice concentrate, water, and maple syrup (optional) in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
- Once the mixture is warm to the touch, slowly pour in the gelatin while constantly whisking. Continue to whisk until all the gelatin is incorporated into the mixture.
- Strain the mixture to remove any lumps of gelatin.
- Pour the mixture into your molds or into a greased baking dish.
- Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, until the gummy fruit snacks have set.
- Unmold and enjoy!
Nutrition
Rubina Umarji is the owner and executive cake artist of Rubina’s Cake Shoppe . After the birth of her son in 2009, she left her career in engineering to focus on her two passions: her family and her edible art. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to showcase cakes and gourmet confections to thousands of dessert loving clients as well as over 100 of Hollywood’s hottest stars and has had her cakes featured on television. Now her days are focused on teaching cake decorating classes to all ages. Her favorite students are her two children, ages 3 and 5. She frequently writes cake decorating tutorials and recipes on the Rubina’s Cake Shoppe Blog (www.rubinascakeshoppe.com/blog).