Every year of my professional life, I’ve made a food gift for every person I work with in my office. In years past, it’s been cookies, sweet potato bread, panna cotta, almond butter cups… It’s never quite the same from year to year.
This year I decided to take a different approach by making gummy bears. It fits the few dietary restrictions in my office (dairy and nuts) and doesn’t cost an arm and leg to make. Gluten free baking is delicious, and the flours are much pricier than your usual bag of white flour.
Also, people like candy. I’ve noticed non-gluten free people can be confused by gluten free baking, so giving them something familiar will make them happy. And they won’t even realize that this is a cleaner version of the candy they’re used to eating.
What makes this cleaner? For one, there’s no added sugar in this recipe. The juice mixture I found was sweetened with organic apple juice already so there was no need to add even more sugar. By choosing grass fed beef gelatin, you’re going with a cleaner and more nutrient dense gelatin than the one that comes in the white packets.
What makes this cleaner? For one, there’s no added sugar in this recipe. The juice mixture I found was sweetened with organic apple juice already so there was no need to add even more sugar. By choosing grass fed beef gelatin, you’re going with a cleaner and more nutrient dense gelatin than the one that comes in the white packets. Gelatin is also great for gut health.
This recipe is also dead simple. Get yourself some organic cranberry pomegranate juice and some grass fed beef gelatin and there ya go. If you want to make them into gummy bears, get some affordable molds and that’s it. I used these molds and got a large bottle of the organic juice at Whole Foods for a reasonable price. If you decide to use a different juice, make sure it’s 100% juice. If it’s got mango, pineapple, or papaya, it needs to be boiled first. Those fruits are high in bromelian, which effects gelatin setting.
When you’re making this, slowly sprinkle the gelatin into the hot mixture while you’re whisking. This helps keeps the clumps down and cuts down the amount of time you’re just whisking it down to dissolve. If you’re using an eyedropper to portion the mixture into molds, try to cut down on the bubbles you create with it. Those bubbles don’t pop or settle, so if you’re looking for “perfect” looking gummies, skim that off and avoid filling a mold with bubbles.
If you’re making a lot of gummy bears, you will need to double or triple this recipe. I have 5 gummy bear trays and made this base recipe about 2 and half times to fill all of my molds. When I make more for a larger amount of people, it will definitely be multiplied again.
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic cranberry pomegranate juice (containing 100% juice)
- 4 tbsp Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin
Instructions
Add juice to a medium stock pot and warm the juice just before boiling.
Reduce the heat slightly and whisk in the beef gelatin, one tablespoon at a time, until dissolved. Depending on how much it clumps, you could be whisking for 5-10 minutes.
Once the gelatin is dissolved, pour the mixture into a baking dish or eyedropper the mixture into your mold.
Transfer to the fridge and allow to cool. For gummies in a mold, check after 20 or so minutes. Wait an hour if serving in a baking dish.
