Do you or your kids love gummy bears? I grew up eating A LOT of candy, and I mean A LOT of candy! I would literally work to make money to go spend it all at the candy store and eat it all in one sitting. That's definitely something I would not recommend to anyone! I later reaped what I sowed which was MANY digestive issues as well as dental health issues. I also suffered from acne and bacterial and yeast overgrowth such as candida. All of these issues stemmed from my sugar addiction. When I cleaned up my diet, I still craved a treat here and there. I was NOT going to turn back and help myself to some high-fructose-corn-syrup-GMO-beet-sugar-dye-filled gummy bears that I knew would undo all of the beneficial things I've done to heal my gut. NO THANK YOU & It was NOT WORTH IT!
My wife and I have made this recipe for a couple of years now and LOVE IT! I am still a kid at heart and love eating some gummy bears once in a while. Now that I have a son, I can pretend that we are making them for him.....but really it's for me! :)
GRASS FED GELATIN
This recipe contains gelatin that is from Grass Fed cows and that is really the main reason why you want to make this recipe. Most gummy bears contain gelatin that is made from cows that were raised conventionally, and the gelatin from those cows can be very toxic because those cows are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones. They are also fed foods that are genetically modified which their bodies are not meant to digest, so this is the recipe for a very sick animal. When we consume products that come from sick animals, that is a less than ideal food for adults to eat, and guess what? This is in MANY of our kids snacks nowadays? NO THANK YOU!
Gelatin, from a good source, can be such a health food! It helps heal and seal the lining of the gut because it contains collagen. This is crucial for gut health because when we consume antibiotics and any other products that destroy our guts, we are more prone to gut permiability. This can lead to issues like leaky gut syndrome which is becoming more common nowadays. If someone is suffering from permiability in their intestines, the undigested food particles in their gut will leech into the bloodstream and cause many auto-immune issues such as hashimotos, allergies, food intolerances just to name a few. We want to avoid ALL OF THIS and be aware of the ingredients that are in our foods ESPECIALLY those in our children's snacks.
So here is the recipe for these EASY EASY EASY gummy bears that you and your family will love!
Ingredients
1 cup organic juice or purée (you can use 1/2 C of water and 1/2 C of purée for a ligher gummy bear). We LOVE puréed raspberries as well as strawberries. Try fruits that are lower in glycemix index such as berries.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon stevia or 1-2 tbsp of raw honey (We use THIS STEVIA)
3 tablespoons of grass fed gelatin we use THIS ONE (you can play around with your ratios, but generally, the more gelatin, the tougher your gummies will be. Also, you don't want a strong gelatin flavor, so we recommend to use stronger "flavors" such as raspberry purée and other berries if you choose to do more than 3 tbsp of gelatin)
Directions
1. In a sauce pan bring your juice of purée to a slight simmer.
2. Take off heat & add lemon juice and sweetener of choice.
3. VERY GRADUALLY Add gelatin. Make sure to WHISK WHISK WHISK, otherwise your gummies will be lumpy.
4. Allow to cool slightly, but not too much! Otherwise mixture will set before you get a chance to pour it.
5. Pour mixture into GUMMY BEAR MOLDS or any pan where you can later cut little squares etc.
6. Place in fridge for 2-3 hours OR if you are inpatient like I am....you can place them in the freezer. They set SUPER FAST. It may take 10 mins in the freezer depending on your batch! If they pop out easily out of your molds, then you know they are ready! Let us know if you have tried this recipe & if you have made any variations of this recipe in the comments below!
*NOTE: I don't prep the molds prior to pouring mixture into silicone molds. They usually pop out REALLY easily! :)
ENJOY!