Gum Drops

Makes 1 ¼ pounds

Preparation time is 20 minutes, resting time 3 hours

Ingredients

• 1 package (¾ oz) powdered fruit pectin
• ¾ cup water – (175ml)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda – (2.5ml)
• 1 cup sugar – (250ml)
• 1 cup light corn syrup – (250ml)
• 2 teaspoons food colouring (of your choice)– (10ml)
• Sugar

Directions

1. Butter small tart tins and a deep narrow baking tin lined in buttered foil.
2. Combine fruit pectin, water and baking soda in a saucepan and watch it foam.
3. Place sugar and corn syrup in a separate saucepan.  Cook both saucepan mixtures for 5 minutes over high heat, stirring often.  One saucepan must not cook more then another. Cook until the fruit pectin mixture no longer has foam and the sugar mixture is boiling rapidly.
4. Add fruit pectin mixture to boiling sugar mixture in a thin stream.  Continue to boiling for another minute, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from heat and stir in your food colouring.
6. Immediately pour mixture into each tiny tart tin and the rest into the pan and let stand in a dry cool place for at least 3 hours or until cooled to room temperature.
7. Using a buttered knife and some shape tools cut some different shapes of gumdrops and roll them in sugar.
8. Serve and enjoy!

Tips

• For green gumdrops: Try oil of anise or and greed food coloring.
• For yellow: Try oil of lemon and yellow food coloring
• For red: Use oil of clove or Strawberry and red food colouring.