Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (2024)

by Patti Estep 10 Comments

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This jelly candy recipe is a fun gift for anyone who has a sweet tooth. Made with gelatin, sugar, and flavored drink mix, to create a sweet and tasty treat.

Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (1)

Homemade Jelly Candy

My husband is a big fan of fruit jelly candy.

In fact, one of our girls had a friend who worked in a hardware store as a cashier in high school. One day she asked, "Is your dad the guy who comes in and buys Chuckles® all the time?" My mother loved them too, and although she has passed, I thought it would be fun to make some homemade jellies for my family and friends.

Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (2)

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Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (3)

After researching many recipes I decided to make them with gelatin, sugar, and Kool-Aid® packetsHomemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (4). It was the easiest way to get a few different flavors and colors, at a very affordable price.

One problem I ran into was the fact that I could not find lime Kool-Aid® so I did use lime extract and green food coloring for one of the batches. After all, my husband was the muse for this idea, and that is his favorite flavor.

Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (5)

In the end, the jellies turned out pretty good. The color and flavor were perfect. The firmness could have been better. This seems to be an issue for many recipes.

One thing that helped is flipping the jellies over after 24 hours, and adding a coating of sugar to the top, then letting them dry out another day. Also, the smaller ones dried out better, so keeping them small is a good idea.

Packaging Ideas

I have them packaged in Weck jarsHomemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (6) and cellophane bagsHomemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (7), (the crinkly kind)for gift giving.

Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (8)

How Long Will They Last?

They should last for a month or so if kept in a sealed container. Probably longer in the refrigerator, unless of course, someone decides to gobble them up.

What are you making this year?

Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (9)

More Homemade Treats

  • Homemade Salted Caramels
  • Hot Chocolate Bombs
  • Mason Jar Mug Cake
  • Chocolate Candy Drops
Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (10)

Homemade Jelly Candy

Patti Estep

This jelly candy recipe is a fun gift for anyone who has a sweet tooth. Made with gelatin, sugar and flavored drink mix, to create a sweet and tasty treat.

4.46 from 46 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Additional Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Candy

Cuisine American

Servings 60 approx 5 dozen

Calories 107 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 - 1 oz. boxes gelatin 8 envelopes
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 2 1/2 cups boiling water
  • 6 cups sugar
  • unsweetened Kool-aid packets or flavored extract with food coloring
  • 2 cups sugar for coating

Instructions

  • Prepare pans by lining them with plastic wrap and vegetable spray. I used three 8x8 oven pans and two bread loaf pans.

  • Place cold water in a bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top. Stir slightly to get all powder incorporated. Set aside

  • In a medium saucepan bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Add sugar and stir. Let simmer, stirring until all sugar is dissolved.

  • Add gelatin mix to the sugar and water mix. Once all the ingredients have dissolved bring back to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes.

  • Remove from heat and let cool for about 1-2 minutes.

  • Divide mixture into 5 bowls. Add one packet of drink mix to each bowl. If using extract add 3 teaspoons and enough drops of food coloring to get the color you wish. I used 5 drops of green for the lime candy.

  • Mix with a wire whisk to ensure all the drink mix is dissolved.

  • Pour into prepared pans and refrigerate overnight.

  • Place a nice layer of sugar on parchment and flip the jelly candy on top. Then move to a new piece of parchment and use a pizza cutter to cut into small square or rectangular shapes.

  • Let sit overnight. Then coat the bottoms of the candy in more sugar and let sit out overnight again with the newly coated side up.

  • Place in bags or airtight containers.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 107kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 1gSodium: 3mgSugar: 27g

Keyword candy, homemade gifts, jelly candy, snacks

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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About Patti Estep

Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Culp

    I've been looking for the Jell-o mint candy recipe my mom made in the 1950's. I got a Jell-o cookbook, but that recipe didn't work out. I remember them being in a square pan to set and weren't real high. She would cut them in 1 inch squares. Then some she would roll in powdered sugar and some she would put a chocolate topping. So good. They were very solid and not jiggly. I'm going to try these. I'll let you know.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      They so very interesting Mary. The ones I made are not very hard either. Let me know if you figure it out.

      Reply

    • Pat Payne

      Mary, is this the recipe you are looking for? We called it Turkish Delight.
      18oz of Jello, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 c. boiling water, 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Combine jello, salt and boiling water in saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down temp and simmer gently for about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice. Pour into an 8"x8" glass dish that has just been wet with cold water. (I just lightly spray with Pam.) Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or best overnight. Carefully cut with knife into 1" squares. I usually tug it out of pan and set the big square on a cutting board then cut with sharp knife or even with scissors. It will be very stiff. Toss squares in powdered sugar. Keep in ziplock bag with a little extra sugar. Hope you see this. It's been two years since you posted. Happy Holidays !

      Reply

  2. Bliss

    I have one all thing gummy son, I might have to make these for him. Pinned.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Bliss, you better get right on it. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Debi

    You put two boxes of gelatin 8 packets what does that mean?

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      Debi, I can see why that was unclear. The recipe calls for 2 boxes (1 oz) each of unflavored gelatin. Each box contains 4 envelopes.

      Reply

  4. D

    Do you think we can substitute Jello instead of gelatin and flavoring? They have some unique flavors at certain times of the year.

    Reply

    • Patti Estep

      I definitely saw a least one article using jello so I'd say yes. You may need to play around with it to get it where you want it, ie cooking it on the stove, adding additional sugar or corn syrup... There are many recipes online with all kinds of ingredients. Lots of people were even using applesauce. Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply

  5. Carole

    Neat idea and love those sweet treats you can make ahead of time, especially for gift giving. I have a book idea for you... Ask me about it...

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Homemade Jelly Candies Recipe to Make and Gift (2024)

FAQs

What are the ingredients in jelly candy? ›

Sugar, Glucose syrup, Water, Fructose, Mixed fruits pulp 6% (orange, strawberry, raspberry, lemon, blueberry), Honey 5%, Aromas, Gelling agent: pectin, Acidifying: citric acid, Natural color: rouge carmin, curcumine, carot�ne, anthocyanes.

What are the four required ingredients in a jelly? ›

Substances essential for fruit jelly making are fruit flavor, pectin, sugar, acid and water. A pectin gel or jelly forms when a suitable concentration of pectin, sugar, acid, and water is achieved.

What is the raw material of jelly candy called? ›

Jelly mass preparation is carried out by mixing sugar containing mixture from teacle, sugar, water with pectin containing mixture and boiling till temperature of 105-107°C. At the same time sugar containing mixture can be used as a mixture of components as syrup with humidity of 16-20%.

How to make jelly step by step? ›

Measure 1 tablespoon water and 1 ½ teaspoons powdered pectin for each cup of jelly or jam. Place in small saucepan and place over low heat, stirring, until the powdered pectin is dissolved. Add to the sugar and fruit mixture and stir until thoroughly blended (about 2 to 3 minutes). Pour into clean containers.

How to make jelly for dummies? ›

Directions
  1. Boil fruit and water: Combine fruit and water in a saucepan. ...
  2. Transfer to a sieve and let drain: ...
  3. Bring juice to a boil; add sugar, then add lemon juice and salt: ...
  4. Test for doneness: ...
  5. Ladle into clean jars; let cool:
May 30, 2024

What is the secret to making jelly? ›

Jellies are produced by extracting the juice from fruits and then adding sugar and lemon juice (or another acid), while pectin is added to help it solidify. Unlike jams, jellies are known for their heightened sweetness, which is achieved by cooking the fruit over low heat for an extended period.

What fruit can't you put in jelly? ›

Some fresh fruits prevent Jell-O and other types of gelatin from gelling. These are fruits that contain high levels of proteases. Proteases are enzymes that break chemical bonds in proteins, such as collagen in gelatin. Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava are examples of fruits that cause a problem.

Which ingredients for jelly making that should have rich flavor? ›

Proper amounts of four ingredients, fruit, pectin, acid and sugar, are essential when making a jellied fruit product. Fruit gives each product its characteristic flavor and furnishes at least part of the pectin and acid for successful gels.

What ingredient thickens jelly? ›

Pectin is a mucilaginous substance (gummy substance extracted from plants), occurring naturally in pears, apples, quince, oranges, and other citrus fruits. It is used as the gelling agent in traditional jams and jellies.

How to manufacture gummy candies? ›

Forming Candy
  1. Depositing: The gummy syrup is deposited into molds using a gummy depositing machine, which shapes the candy into the desired forms.
  2. Cooling: The molds pass through a cooling tunnel to solidify the gummies and set their shape.
  3. Demolding: Gummies are removed from the molds by a demolding machine.

What are the jelly sweets in Dolly mixtures called? ›

Do you know what a dew drop is…well its a small dome shaped fruity jelly with a sugar coating…also known as the jelly sweet you get in the dolly mixtures! Soooo if you don't fancy all the other bits in the dolly mix but you what the jelly then you need a bag of dew drops!

What is konjac jelly candy? ›

Konjac jelly is made from mixing water and the corm of the konjac plant, which works as a gelatin substitute thanks to its fiber and starch content. Companies that produce konjac jelly products then add flavoring and sugar substitutes to create a gelatin-like snack that delivers fiber and minimal calories.

What nasty ingredient is in Jell-O? ›

Gelatin. This probably wouldn't scare you if you found it in an ingredient list. But gelatin (commonly found in Jell-O, yogurt, candy and more) is actually kind of gross. Gelatin is actually made from collagen – a protein taken from animal skins, often pigs.

What is jelly actually made of? ›

Gelatin, the primary ingredient in Jell-O, is derived from collagen, a protein found in the connective tissues, bones, and skin of animals," Sabat says. "Historically, gelatin was obtained by boiling the bones and tissues of animals, such as cows or pigs, to extract collagen.

Does Jelly Candy contain gelatin? ›

Ingredients. Gummy candies are made mostly of corn syrup, sucrose, gelatin, starch and water. In addition, minor amounts of coloring and flavoring agents are used. Food acids such as citric acid and malic acid are also added in order to give a tart flavor to gummies.

What is jelly fruit candy made of? ›

1. STRAWBERRY FLAVORED JELLY CANDY: Water, sugar, carrageenan, citric acid, sodium citrate, strawberry artificial flavor, potassium sorbate and potassium benzoate as preservatives and FD&C Red No. 40.

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