Craft Project (and recipe!): Gumdrop Lollies

These lollies are in a clear jar, stuck into some fine sugar, but you could wrap these up in celophane or plastic bags for stocking stuffers.

You can use several different sizes and colors of gumdrops, paired with colored "jimmies", sprinkles or other tiny candies if you like.  You could also try your hand at making your own gumdrops (recipe below).  After you've arranged the gumdrops on skewers, you can dip them in water, shake off the excess and then roll in fine sugar to create an even more wintry effect (for display only, do not wet the ones you'll give away for others to eat).  To attach pieces off to the side - trim the gumdrops on the side you want to attach.  The sticky inner portion will be exposed and will grab onto the (non-cut) rough side of the next gumdrop with just a bit of pressure.

 GUMDROP RECIPE: You can make different flavors of gumdrops. Use orange juice instead of grape juice and one drop each red and yellow food coloring for orange gumdrops. For pineapple gumdrops, substitute pineapple juice for the grape juice and use yellow food coloring. Use your imagination!


Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

•1 cup sugar (or sugar substitue like Stevia)
 ** realize, however, that sugar substitutes have not been tested by me and so I do not know how well
they will cook up into candy **
•1 cup agave syrup
•3/4 cup grape juice
•1-3/4 oz. pkg. powdered fruit pectin
•1/2 tsp. baking soda
•2 drops blue food coloring
•2 drop red food coloring

•sugar/sugar substitute

Preparation:

Line a 9x5" loaf pan with aluminum foil and brush with peanut or safflower oil to coat.

In 1-1/2 quart heavy saucepan, combine sugar and agave syrup and stir well, making sure to scrape down the sides. Bring to a boil over medium high heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cover pan briefly so steam will help wash sugar crystals off the sides of the pan.

Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan with the bulb touching the syrup, but not touching the pan. Then, cook without stirring over medium heat, until mixture reads 280 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (You can also test the candy by dropping a small amount of candy into cold water. The candy is ready when it separates into hard threads that aren't brittle.)

Meanwhile, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine grape juice, pectin, and baking soda. Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture boils (it will look very foamy), reduce the heat to low but leave pan on the heat.

Slowly pour the hot, 280 degree sugar mixture into the grape juice mixture in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This will take a couple of minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in food coloring, if using. Let the mixture stand for 2 minutes, then skim off any foam from the surface.

Pour candy into prepared pan and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature, for 24 hours. Lift foil from the pan and remove from from the sides of the candy.



Cut candy into 3/4" squares, using a sharp knife dipped into sugar. Roll all the squares in sugar to coat. Let stand at room temperature for one hour to dry. Store gumdrops in a tightly covered container at room temperature. 72 gumdrops