Apple Cider Gummies
A classic fall flavour made chewy.
Have you noticed that when you buy or are given apple cider, you end up with a lot of it? It’s never a tiny little bottle, it’s always a giant jug of the stuff. Not that I’m complaining. But if you do end up with apple cider and want to try something a little different with it, try making a gummy. Apple and cinnamon in a gummy, why not? I love these little chews and they are so timely for fall.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
There are a couple of options in this recipe and I’ll explain them here.
Sorbitol
Sorbitol is probably not something you readily have in your pantry, even I do not readily have it and I make candy almost every day. Sorbitol is a powder that is used as a sweetener derived from glucose. It also helps to give firmness and resistance to a gummy that we all love when we enjoy a chewy candy, but just a little, so is totally fine to omit this. I should probably give you the heads up right now that it is very hard to get the texture of an at-home gummy to resemble store bought gummies. Adding sorbitol will get you a little bit closer to that store bought texture. I bought sorbitol online here, and I think I’m good for the next few years making gummies.Citric acid
If you are a canner, then you’ve probably heard of or have some citric acid hanging around your cupboard. It is a powder, that is dried citrus. It gives candy that extra punch of flavour without adding in any extra moisture. Citric acid is what coats the outside of sour candies too, so you can either add a little and punch the flavour up a bit, or you can add more and make it sour, up to you. This ingredient is found where you would buy canning supplies, or here is a link. It is completely optional as it won’t affect the overall chemistry of the candy, but it definitely helps to bring the apple flavour out.Silicone mold or pan
If this is your first adventure into gummy making and you don’t really want to buy molds yet, then you can always use a pan lined with foil, then once the gummies have set, you can slice them up into little squares. It will take longer to set though, at least give it overnight in the fridge.If you do decide to get some molds because they are rather fun (plus you can use them for ice and other things you want to mold), pay attention to the size of them. I’ve boughten molds in the past thinking they looked so cute and then when I got them, they were teeny tiny! So pay attention to the size and think about how big you want your gummies to ultimately be. I used this mold for the recipe pictured, but I also love these ones for a classic gummy bear look. The gummy bear mold also comes with a dropper to help you get the mixture into the molds.
Tools required:
Small/ medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Silicone mold and dropper (alternatively, you can use a pan then slice into pieces)
The recipe
Apple Cider Gummies
Ingredients
4 tbsp (4 packets) gelatin mixed with 1/4 cup cold apple cider (or apple juice)
2/3 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
1/3 cup sugar
4 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sorbitol (optional)
1/2 tsp citric acid (optional)
Directions
Mix the gelatin and 1/4 cup cold apple cider together and set aside. This helps the gelatine to evenly disperse in the gummies so you don’t get clumps of gelatin.
In a small or medium saucepan, mix apple cider, sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon and sorbitol over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir until you can no longer feel sugar granules on the bottom of the pan. Do not bring to a boil.
Add the gelatin and stir until melted and combined. Do not bring to a boil.
4. Remove from heat and scoop the foam off of the top of the mixture. Stir in the citric acid until fully incorporated.
5. Pour into a pan lined with foil, or into a silicone mold. I like to use a dropper to cleanly get the mixture into the molds. If bubbles start to form from the dropper, just suck them back up with your dropper, like you are vacuuming.
6. Let it set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight. Remove from pan and cut into squares or remove gummies from the mold. You may want to roll them in sugar for a different texture or citric acid for a sour gummy.
Lasts for several weeks, store in the refrigerator.