Blood Orange Gumdrops
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups blood orange purée (recipe below)
- ½ cup applesauce
- 2½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 tablespoon powdered apple pectin
- ¾ cup glucose syrup or corn syrup*
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Superfine sugar for rolling
Instructions
- 1. Line a 9- by 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.
2. Combine fruit purée and applesauce in a heavy pot. Warm over medium heat,constantly stirring with a heatproof whisk.
3. When purée is warm, add ¼ cup sugar mixed with pectin. Continue whisking. When the purée starts to thicken, whisk in the glucose syrup and the rest of the sugar.
4. Continue whisking until a candy thermometer reads 223° F. It will take some time to come up to that temperature and thicken the purée. You want to keep it at a steady boil but not a rapid boil. If the heat is too high the purée will burn.
5. When the mixture reaches 223°, whisk in the lemon juice and pour into prepared pan. Let it sit overnight to set.
6. Cut into 1 inch cubes, rolling each piece in superfine sugar.
Notes
* I usually use Caullet Glucose Syrup (which is wheat based) and is available from ABC Cake Decorating Supplies. Organic corn syrup from Sprouts is an alternative.
