Homemade Halloween Candy – Gumdrop Ghosts

Celebrate Halloween with these adorable Gumdrop Ghosts! This fun homemade Halloween candy is so much better than any store-bought gumdrops.

I wouldn’t mind being haunted by a few of these gumdrop ghosts on October 31st or any time of year for that matter.

These little guys look as sweet as they taste.

So if my Brain Hemorrhage Gumdrops were a bit too gross for you to handle, these should be more appealing.

In order to make these adorable Halloween candies, you first need to make a batch of homemade gumdrops.

I mentioned in my last post that Sure-Jell makes a nice clear pectin which I used to make my brains. I only had one box but had a box of pectin from Ball, so I thought I’d just use that. Well, when I opened it I noticed that the powder was light brown. I hoped it would turn clear as it cooked.

It didn’t and whoever heard of a brown ghost?

To make a ghostly white color, I had to add some white icing coloring. I’m betting this isn’t something many of you have in your pantry, so I do suggest just getting a clear pectin powder.

If you do have the white coloring, you can add it to make your candies nice an opaque.

Gumdrop Ghosts

Ingredients: (makes about 20 ghosts)

butter (to grease pan and gingerbread man mold)
3/4 cup water
1 (1.75 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin (original not low or no sugar pectin)*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup plus a small amount more to attach eyes
1/4 -1/2 teaspoon flavored oil *
optional, white food coloring
granulated sugar to coat gumdrops
candy eyes
black food coloring marker

*NOTES:

• You want pectin that is white or clear looking. Read the explanation in the post above.
• I used orange candy flavoring to flavor these gumdrops but you can use any candy flavoring you like.

Supplies:

1 Wilton 24 cavity mini Gingerbread Silicone Mold (lightly greased with butter)
optional, food handling glove to help with greasing your molds
1 1/2  or 2 quart saucepan, preferably a good quality stainless steel pan
2 or 3-quart saucepan
candy thermometer
glass bowl with spout or a glass mixing bowl

Instructions: 

• Make one batch of gumdrops (see recipe, here.)
• Add white coloring, if using, or just leave the mixture clear.

• Carefully pour the hot mixture into a buttered gingerbread mold.
• Allow gumdrops to cool and harden for about 8 hours.
• To speed things up, you can allow them to cool for an hour then freeze them for about 30 minutes.

• To un-mold your ghosts, turn the mold upside down and press the candies out onto a tray covered in granulated sugar.
• Coat ghosts entirely in sugar.

• Use corn syrup to attach two candy eyes to each gumdrop ghost.
• Draw on a mouth using a black food coloring marker.

• Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

More Homemade Candy Recipes for Halloween
from Hungry Happenings

Creepy Gumdrop Brains

Black Cat Truffle Pops

Handpainted Lollipops

Jeepers Creepers Candy Bars

Chocolate Pumpkin Truffles

More Homemade Gumdrops

Star Spangled Gumdrops

Homemade Sour Gummy Bunnies