Homemade Gumdrops

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup orange juice
1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 drops red food coloring, if desired
Sugar

For Grape Gumdrops substitute grape juice for orange juice and use blue food coloring

For Apple Gumdrops substitute apple juice for orange juice and use red or green food coloring

Or try your own substitutions!
 

Directions:

Line loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches, with aluminum foil. Brush with oil. Heat 1 c. sugar and the corn syrup to boiling in 1-1/2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring, to 280 degrees F. on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water separates into hard but not brittle threads.

While cooking sugar mixture, heat orange juice, pectin and baking soda to boiling (mixture will be foamy) in 2-quart saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly; reduce heat.

Slowly pour hot sugar mixture in a thin stream into orange juice mixture, stirring constantly (this should take 1 to 2 minutes); remove from heat. Stir in food color. Let stand 2 minutes. Skim off foam.

Pour mixture into pan. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature 24 hours. Lift foil from pan and remove foil from sides. Cut into 3/4-inch squares with knife dipped into sugar. Roll squares in sugar. Let stand uncovered at room temperature 1 hour. Store gumdrops in airtight container.