Homemade Gumdrop Recipe Gelatin-Free

[Susan]

Oooh!  We're gonna try these next week! 

You can make different flavors of gumdrops too! Use orange juice instead of grape juice and one drop each red and yellow food coloring for orange gumdrops. For pineapple gumdrops, substitute pineapple juice for the grape juice and use yellow food coloring. Use your imagination!
 
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup grape juice
1-3/4 oz. pkg. powdered fruit pectin
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 drops blue food coloring
2 drop red food coloring
sugar

Preparation:

Line a 9x5" loaf pan with aluminum foil and brush with peanut or safflower oil to coat.
In 1-1/2 quart heavy saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup and stir well, making sure to scrape down the sides. Bring to a boil over medium high heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. Cover pan briefly so steam will help wash sugar crystals off the sides of the pan.
 
Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan with the bulb touching the syrup, but not touching the pan. Then, cook without stirring over medium heat, until mixture reads 280 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (You can also test the candy by dropping a small amount of candy into cold water. The candy is ready when it separates into hard threads that aren't brittle.)
 
Meanwhile, in a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine grape juice, pectin, and baking soda. Bring this mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture boils (it will look very foamy), reduce the heat to low but leave pan on the heat.
 
Slowly pour the hot, 280 degree sugar mixture into the grape juice mixture in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This will take a couple of minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat and stir in food coloring, if using. Let the mixture stand for 2 minutes, then skim off any foam from the surface.
 
Pour candy into prepared pan and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature, for 24 hours. Lift foil from the pan and remove from from the sides of the candy.
 
Cut candy into 3/4" squares, using a sharp knife dipped into sugar. Roll all the squares in sugar to coat. Let stand at room temperature for one hour to dry. Store gumdrops in a tightly covered container at room temperature. 72 gumdrops

http://busycooks.about.com/od/candyandsnackmixes/r/gumdrops.htm