Wine Gumdrops: An Adult Version of Gummies

Confession time: I am not a wine drinker. !GASP! Unbelievable, right? I’ve never loved the taste, and anyone that knows me knows I have a slight (ok, major) addiction to Dr. Pepper, so I just don’t have time for wine. However, putting wine into a gummy candy? I’m totally on board with that!

Before we dive in, it’s important to point out that this doesn’t cook long enough to actually cook off all the alcohol. Please don’t serve them at your child’s next birthday party, unless you have read the variations section below, to make them fruity instead of alcoholic!

Flavor Variations…

Any type of wine can be used for this candy – white, red, rose, etc. I chose a sangria, but you can use your favorite wine (or whatever is on sale)! I also used mixed berry applesauce because I happen to have some in the pantry for my kiddo’s lunches. Any flavor is fine as long as it’s unsweetened, because pectin needs a specific balance of sugar and acid to react properly.

If wine is not your thing, you can still make these bite size candies. Substitute your favorite plain (unsweetened) fruit purée for the wine.

How chewy do you want it…

When we cook sugar, the the hotter it gets, the more solid it becomes. There isn’t a wrong way to make these, (we are making wine candy, after all) as long as they are cooked enough to hold their shape. Or not, because let’s face it, wine jelly on crackers would also be a treat!

Medium heat for three minutes:

Boiling for three minutes on medium heat gave me a soft jelly candy. It was like a can of cranberry sauce, but wine flavored (which might be a great addition to family thanksgiving next year, lol). It holds its shape to the touch, and then melts away in your mouth, similarly to the texture of applesauce. This has a predominant wine flavor, since little had been evaporated.

High heat for three minutes:

Cooking hotter for the same amount of time gave me a chewy gumdrop. It was similar to a jellied candy or “Dot”. As it was cooking, it pulled away from the pan and became a shiny, dark purple gel color. This was our favorite for flavor and texture!

High heat for four minutes:

Cooking longer still, made a fresh swedish fish texture. These stick to your teeth a little bit, but still have great flavor. If you have to make them again to get closer to the texture you want, I doubt anyone will complain!

How to shape them…

Once removed from the heat, this mixture will start to set up right away, and the longer and hotter it’s cooked, the quicker it solidifies. The easiest way to make these is to pour the hot mixture onto a sheet pan that’s been lined with greased parchment paper. Once it has cooled and dried, you can then cut them into squares with a pizza roller. Toss them in sugar so they don’t stick, and you’re good to go!

If you’re looking for a shaped candy, a silicone mold is best. I love the detail my Pampered Chef Chocolate Mold gives me, and they are the perfect poppable size! I quickly spooned the gel mixture into each well, overfilling each one. Then I scraped off the extra, giving me the flat bottom.

This Week’s Dessert Bar…

Wine Gumdrops have a fun, childlike aspect with adult flavors, and are a great addition to Chicago Style Snack Mix and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffles. Together, this classic wine, cheese, and chocolate combo makes for an excellent movie night dessert bar!

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Print Recipe

4.78 from 9 votes

Wine Gumdrops

A fun childhood treat with adult flavors!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

• 195 g sugar
• 49 g unsweetened applesauce
• 131 g wine or plain fruit puree
• 16 g corn syrup
• 49 g pectin
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t lemon juice

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Spray the parchment paper or mold with oil or cooking spray.
• Measure out all ingredients. This goes very quickly and needs constant supervision!
• Put applesauce in medium pot on medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until it looks drier.
• Add wine, salt, karo syrup and whisk, turning heat up to high.
• Add a spoon of the sugar into a bowl with the pectin and stir together. (only if using powdered pectin. Liquid pectin can be added without the addition of sugar)
• While stirring, slowly pour in pectin in to wine mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Rain in half of the sugar while whisking, and wait for it to return to a boil before adding the rest.
• Once all the sugar is added and it has returned to a boil, start a time for 3 minutes. Stir constantly.
• Remove from heat and let it settle for about 10-15 seconds, stir in lemon juice.
• Immediately pour onto parchment paper. If the pan is larger than the amount of wine mixture, fold the parchment paper over to shape and smooth the top.
• Leave to cool to room temperature, and then cover and rest for at least 8 hours.
• Once they are dried out, cut with a knife that has been oiled/sprayed; toss in sugar. Leave out for several more hours to continue drying out. DO NOT place in refrigerator.

Notes

Using the weight measurements for recipes like this that require absolute precision will give you MUCH more reliable results. If you tried it and it didn’t work perfectly, please grab a kitchen scale and try again. Feel free to reach out to me if you need help! 

Nutrition

Serving: 67g | Sodium: 160mg | Calcium: 1mg | Vitamin C: 1mg | Sugar: 27g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 25mg | Calories: 136kcal | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 1g | Protein: 1g | Carbohydrates: 33g | Iron: 1mg