Delicious homemade jelly lolly recipe for you today! These little stars are full of flavor and vitamins. Delicious and good for you? My kind of sweet treat.
My kids love gummy lollies, what child doesn't, right? However, the ingredients list of the most popular Australian jelly snakes makes me cringe. This is exactly why I have made these raspberry and orange jellies. So now, anytime my kids ask me if they can have some lollies, I say - yes, of course!
Before we get to my all-natural recipe I wanted to highlight what ingredients are in the brands sold in supermarkets. As an example, I have copied the ingredients list from Allen's snakes from the Woolworths website and given you more information about each component.
Let's have a closer look at what Allen's snakes are made of:
SUGARS
Glucose Syrup - is a concentrated source of sugar and calories. It is known to increase your risk of obesity, high blood sugar, poor dental health, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Cane sugar - more empty calories, contributes to weight gain and may promote the development of chronic conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Thickeners:
- Dextrin Roasted Starch - a highly processed and modified starch. I try to avoid modified food as much as possible.
- Acid Treated Starch - once again highly processed and modified.
- Starch Acetate from wheat, which makes it not suitable for a gluten-free diet, plus all the above.
FLAVOURS
Flavors are always a sign of chemicals. Unfortunately, the companies don't have to disclose the ingredients of flavor components. Both natural and artificial flavors can have anywhere from 50 to 100 ingredients. We can only assume their origin but they most likely did not come from fruit and vegetables.
COLOURS
Artificial food colorings have been linked to hyperactivity in children for a long time. Why is it still a common practice to add those additives to the food that is marketed to children?
- Carminic Acid is a colorant extracted from the Cochineal insect. Yes, it is derived from crushed beetles.
- Paprika Oleoresin I don't have much to say about this one. It looks like it is made from red capsicum indeed.
- Copper Chlorophyllin a green color, is considered to be safe.
- Turmeric. This is the ONLY ingredient that has some nutritional value in this product.
- Vegetable Carbon. Vegetable carbon is an artificial food coloring that is no longer used by NESTLE in UK Smarties. Do I need to say more?
Gelatine can be a part of a healthy diet if derived from free-range, grass-fed animals. There is evidence that gelatin may reduce joint and bone pain, increase brain function and help reduce the signs of skin aging. (source)
It is very important what kind of gelatin you use. As you know gelatin is an animal product that is made from collagen. Collagen is a protein found in the connective tissues and bones of animals. I doubt that the Nestle gelatin comes from free-range, grass-fed animals so If looking for good quality gelatin check out this gelatin or this agar agar powder if you are vegan.
Food Acid (Citric). I would love to say I don't have a problem with it since it is supposed to be just lemon juice. However, nowadays food acid is almost always made from black mold.
Humectant (Glycerine) made from vegetable oil, corn syrup, or petroleum.
Ingredients for homemade jelly lollies
- Raspberries are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They may protect against diabetes, cancer, obesity, arthritis, and other conditions and may even provide anti-aging effects. (source)
- Freshly squeezed orange juice is high in many nutrients, including vitamin C, folate, and potassium.
- Lemon juice excellent source of vitamin C.
- Organic raw honey contains many antioxidants that protect your body from cell damage. It also has strong antibacterial and antifungus properties. But please don't rush and eat the honey with a spoon. It is still very high in sugar.
- High-quality gelatin is rich in proteins and has a unique amino acid profile that gives it many potential health benefits.
Have I convinced you to give this healthy snack recipe a go? Let's do it!
Delicious homemade jelly lolly recipe
Delicious homemade jelly lollies recipe (aka gummy candies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raspberries I always use frozen berries for this
- ¼ cup of water
- Freshly squeezed juice of 3 large oranges
- Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
- 2.5 tablespoon gelatin see note!
- 1 teaspoon of organic raw honey
Instructions
- Add water and the raspberries into a small pot, bring to simmer, DO NOT boil the raspberries.
- Add the orange, honey and lemon juice and once again bring to simmer without boiling the mixture.
- Add the gelating and stir the mixture for a couple of minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
- Pour into the moulds or any other flat container you have on hand and let it set in the fridge for a couple of hours. The jelly will be very firm once it has set.
- Once the jelly has set, take it out of the moulds. If you don't have the special moulds, like me, simply use small cooky cutters. You also can just cut the jellies into any shapes you like using a knife.
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate. They will keep for two weeks, but I honestly don't think they will last for so long! Enjoy!!
Notes
Ada
Delicious and so easy. My kids love jelly lollies, but Idon't like artificial colors. I didn’t have orange, but had apple juice on hand and it turned our great.