While many people in my family faint over dense chocolate cake, lovely rhubarb pie, or sugar cookie sandwiches, I love candy. Generally, I could choose to nibble on bite sized sugar confections over just about any other dessert - chocolate creams, chewy caramels, melt-in-your-mouth toffee are all on my list, but my all-time favorite candy is any flavor of fruit jelly. (I am especially fond of the ones that look sugared fruit slices with their slightly crunchy "rind" and soft, stained glass "center.") Alas, these puppies are not cheap - and we won't even discuss how much sugar they contain. So today I set about making some of my own. While my finished product is not as lovely as the premium confections for sale online, the taste was exquisite. I have to admit, though, that I didn't go completely sugar free because I was unsure how straight stevia would react to cooking. I did reduce the sugar a great deal by using Truvia Baking Blend (which is about 75 percent stevia mixed with sugar and erythritol). Since this mix tasted so great in a recent cheesecake, I thought it was the best option for candy making, though I'm contemplating trying a completely no-sugar added version next time.
Honestly, I barely tampered with the recipe I found online: http://www.oprah.com/food/Blackberry-Fruit-Jellies. I did not have any blackberries in the fridge, so I used raspberries instead. In addition, I cut the measurement for the sugar in half following the instructions on the Truvia package. (Thus I used 1.25 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the Truvia mix instead of 2.75 cups of sugar.) In addition, my candy thermometer didn't seem to be working well (perhaps because the mixture wasn't very deep in the pan) so I scrapped it in favor of water testing and cooked the candy to the softball stage before adding the lime (or lemon) juice. Finally, since I ran out of the Truvia mix making the syrup, I used 3/4 of a cup of stevia mixed with 1/4 cup of sugar to dredge the candy at the end. (This process actually took just under 1/4 of a cup in total.) This recipe worked like a charm! The only real problem I had was straining out the seeds. (All of my strainers were too large, and the cheesecloth tore!) So, my candy ended up with some raspberry seeds, but that didn't seem to be a big deal when it was finished. The whole family loved these, and I'll make them again soon. (I'm thinking about the strawberries in my freezer!)
While the raspberry jellies were setting up, I tried out some gummy candy made from Jell-O. This is pretty standard fare for "kid's recipes," but I thought they might be a quicker, easier version of the oh-so-delicious fruit gels. (Here's the version I used: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/01/06/homemade-gummi-candy/.) The experiment was worth a try, but their taste did not compare. I think doubling the flavored Jell-O would make a better product. In addition, I learned that molds are necessary to make this work well. When I poured and cut the candy in the same manner as the raspberry jellies, it was too thin. However, when we folded the squares into thicker pieces, the candy was much better. (Strange how that would make such a difference!) The guys agreed that these would be great snacks, so I picked up some candy molds at Dollar Tree for future use. In addition, these were extremely quick and easy to make, so I can see making them again soon. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions:
Honestly, I barely tampered with the recipe I found online: http://www.oprah.com/food/Blackberry-Fruit-Jellies. I did not have any blackberries in the fridge, so I used raspberries instead. In addition, I cut the measurement for the sugar in half following the instructions on the Truvia package. (Thus I used 1.25 cups plus 2 tablespoons of the Truvia mix instead of 2.75 cups of sugar.) In addition, my candy thermometer didn't seem to be working well (perhaps because the mixture wasn't very deep in the pan) so I scrapped it in favor of water testing and cooked the candy to the softball stage before adding the lime (or lemon) juice. Finally, since I ran out of the Truvia mix making the syrup, I used 3/4 of a cup of stevia mixed with 1/4 cup of sugar to dredge the candy at the end. (This process actually took just under 1/4 of a cup in total.) This recipe worked like a charm! The only real problem I had was straining out the seeds. (All of my strainers were too large, and the cheesecloth tore!) So, my candy ended up with some raspberry seeds, but that didn't seem to be a big deal when it was finished. The whole family loved these, and I'll make them again soon. (I'm thinking about the strawberries in my freezer!)
While the raspberry jellies were setting up, I tried out some gummy candy made from Jell-O. This is pretty standard fare for "kid's recipes," but I thought they might be a quicker, easier version of the oh-so-delicious fruit gels. (Here's the version I used: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/01/06/homemade-gummi-candy/.) The experiment was worth a try, but their taste did not compare. I think doubling the flavored Jell-O would make a better product. In addition, I learned that molds are necessary to make this work well. When I poured and cut the candy in the same manner as the raspberry jellies, it was too thin. However, when we folded the squares into thicker pieces, the candy was much better. (Strange how that would make such a difference!) The guys agreed that these would be great snacks, so I picked up some candy molds at Dollar Tree for future use. In addition, these were extremely quick and easy to make, so I can see making them again soon. Enjoy!
Reduced Sugar Raspberry Fruit Jellies (Adapted from Delish)
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups fresh raspberries (12.3 net carbs)
- 1/2 cup water (0 net carbs)
- 1 1/4 plus 2 tablespoons Truvia Baking Blend (126 net carbs)
- 1/4 cup Truvia Baking Mix for dredging candy (24 net carbs)
- 2 teaspoons powdered pectin (0 net carbs)
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (1 net carb)
Directions:
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Puree the fruit with the water.
- Strain out the seeds and place the puree in a medium sauce pan.
- Mix the pectin with 1/4 cup of the Truvia Baking Blend, and stir into the fruit.
- Cook over medium high heat until boiling.
- Stir in 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Truvia Baking Blend.
- Continue cooking and stirring constantly until the syrup reaches the soft ball stage using a cold water test.
- Add the lemon or lime juice and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Pour into prepared pan and allow to set for about five minutes.
- Dust with Truvia Baking Blend and allow to cool completely.
- Turn out on to a platter and remove the parchment paper.
- Dust with Truvia Baking Blend and cut into squares.
- If candy is too sticky, allow to dry on a rack for several hours.
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