My family will be sleepwalking through security and snoring in our seats at the airport on Monday. With a 4 am wake-up call, we’ll need plenty of caffeine to make it through the morning, but after a 5 hour flight, we’ll pick up our luggage and start working on our tans in beautiful Hawaii!
During a trip in high school, my mom heard about a guava plantation and begged us to visit. We wandered around the gardens while slurping on shave ice, smelling the pink plumerias and dodging the dangerous low-hanging fruit. (Being short does come in handy sometimes!)
As a memento, Mom bought guava jelly. And guava jam. And guava pancake syrup. And guava hand soap. And we sang her happy song for the rest of the week. “Guava jelly, guava jelly…”
We flew back a few years later and made a beeline for the plantation, but with the booming tourism industry, the owners had sold it off and built a mini golf course instead. Slightly dejected, we headed to the supermarket to purchase Mom’s guava jelly. This year, I made a batch of guava gummies before we left, so that emergency grocery stop might not be necessary!
modified from this recipe
These fruit gummies are a fun snack and a cute party food for kids too!
- Line a 9” x 5” baking pan with foil, and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a small pot, combine the sugar and corn syrup, stirring until the sugar is incorporated. Turn heat to medium, and stir constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to heat without stirring until the mixture reaches 280° on a candy thermometer (or until the syrup splits into hard strands when dropped into a glass of cold water). Remove from the heat.
- While the sugar solution boils, add the guava nectar, pectin, and baking powder to a medium bowl. Turn heat to medium, and stir constantly until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to low.
- Once the sugar solution reaches 280°, pour it into the guava mixture in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Stir in the food coloring (if using), and let the mixture sit for 2 minutes. Skim the foam off of the top, and pour into the prepared baking pan. Cool for at least 4 hours, or up to 24 hours, before slicing into ½”-cubes with a knife dipped in water.
Notes: I replaced ½ cup of corn syrup with ½ cup of granulated sugar + 2 tablespoons of water. It worked just fine!
Also, the gummies look even cuter if rolled in sugar, and it reduces their stickiness too!
Have a great trip! Ugh, I hate early mornings like that. I’ve got several in my future!
Thank you! It’s already been great — lots of fresh fish and ice cream, what more could I ask for? 🙂 Oh no, that doesn’t sound good! What are your super early mornings for?
Wahoo gummies with no gelatin! These look delishhhh! I would use them for sugar kicks on long runs!
Thanks! I thought of you while making them; there aren’t very many gummies out there that are vegan-friendly!