What Are Gumdrops and How Can I Use Them?
Gumdrops is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 39 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Firm, sugar-coated chewy candies sturdy enough to bake into batter or cut for decorating.
- Fruit gumdrops are the baking default; spice drops add clove, cinnamon, and licorice notes.
- Cut them with floured or frozen shears, then toss the pieces in flour so they don't sink.
- They top cut-out cookies and cakes, and bind no-bake popcorn treats.
- Store airtight at room temperature away from humidity; never refrigerate, which makes them weep.
What are gumdrops?
Gumdrops are firm, chewy candies in a domed teardrop shape, set with pectin or starch and rolled in coarse sugar that gives them a sparkly, slightly crunchy coat.
They are sweeter and stiffer than a soft jelly bean, with enough body to hold their shape when you bake or cut them.
Two flavor families share the name. Fruit gumdrops come in bright reds, greens, oranges, and yellows, while spice gumdrops, often called spice drops, carry clove, cinnamon, and licorice in deeper colors. A recipe that says "gumdrops" usually means the fruit kind unless it specifies otherwise.
That sturdiness is the whole appeal. A gumdrop holds up in a hot oven and on a toothpick in a way softer candies can't, which is why it doubles as both a baking mix-in and a decorating jewel.
Baking and Decorating With Gumdrops
In baking, gumdrops act like chewy candied fruit. Snip them into small pieces with kitchen shears and fold them through a batter, where they stay soft and jewel-bright through the bake.
That is the trick behind a Gumdrop Cake, one of the most-reviewed recipes here, and a Best Gumdrop Bread, both of which use cut gumdrops the way an older recipe would use candied citron. They also stud the chewy rounds of Gumdrop Cookies with Buttermilk.
For decorating, the candy's domed shape and bright color do the work. Whole gumdrops make eyes and buttons on cut-out cookies, and a halved gumdrop pressed cut-side down sticks to frosting like glue.
Rolled flat with a little sugar, a gumdrop turns into pliable candy "clay" you can cut into leaves or ribbons.
They also bind into no-bake party centerpieces like a Gumdrop Peanut Popcorn Cake and the cheerful Popcorn Snowmen.
Working Tips and Common Mistakes
The number one frustration is gumdrops sticking to the knife. Dust your shears or blade with flour or powdered sugar, or freeze the candies for ten minutes first, and they cut cleanly instead of gumming up.
When folding cut gumdrops into batter, toss the pieces in a spoonful of the recipe's flour before adding them. Bare gumdrops sink to the bottom and fuse into a gummy layer; a flour coat keeps them suspended.
One real choice to make: spice gumdrops will turn a vanilla cake faintly of clove and licorice, which is lovely in a holiday loaf but jarring in a bright fruit cookie. Pick fruit gumdrops unless you actually want that spiced edge.
Substitutes
Out of gumdrops? The closest cousins are jujubes and spice drops. Jujubes are chewier and firmer, while spice drops swap in directly when you want that clove-cinnamon flavor.
For a baking mix-in, chopped candied fruit or chewy fruit snacks give a similar soft, sweet bite. Gummy bears work too once cut down, though they are softer and melt more in a hot oven.
For decorating, reach for any firm, brightly colored candy. Jelly beans and candy fruit slices both read as cheerful color on a cake or cookie, and dots of stiff royal icing do the same job when you want a set finish.
Buying and Storage
Gumdrops live in the candy aisle and turn up in bulk bins, sold by flavor mix or as single colors for projects that need a specific shade. Around the winter holidays you will find the spice-drop assortments that the rest of the year can be hard to track down.
Stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature, gumdrops keep their chew for months. Their enemy is humidity, which makes the sugar coat weep and the candies stick into one clump, so keep them dry and away from the stove.
If older gumdrops have hardened, they are still fine to chop into a batter, where the oven softens them again. Don't refrigerate them; the cold and moisture do more harm than the counter ever will.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup gumdrops (182g)Quick facts
Where to find gumdrops: Gumdrops are usually found in the candy section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Gumdrops are a member of the Sweets US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- gumdrops
- British (UK) term
- Gumdrops
- en français
- jujubes
- en español
- gomitas
How much do gumdrops weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup gumdrops | 182 grams |
| 10 gumdrops | 36 grams |
| 10 gummy bears | 22 grams |
| 10 gummy dinosaurs | 63 grams |
| 10 gummy fish | 50 grams |
| 10 gummy worms | 74 grams |
| 1 spice stick | 9 grams |
| 1 spice drop | 24 grams |
| 1 gumdrop, small (1/2" dia) | 3 grams |
| 1 gumdrop, medium (3/4" dia) | 4 grams |
| 1 gumdrop, large (1" dia) | 11 grams |
| 1 jelly ring (1-1/4" dia) | 10 grams |
Related
Sweets
Recipes using gumdrops
There are 39 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Baked Stained Glass Cookies
Festive slice-and-bake sugar cookies studded with colorful gumdrop pieces that create a translucent "stained glass" effect when held to light—perfect for holiday treats or kids favorite Christmas cookies.
Easter Lamb Face Cupcakes
These lamb face cupcakes are too cute, and also they are so easy to make, the tender cupcakes are coated with the vanilla frosting and marshmallows, great cupcakes for your Easter!
Easter Little Sheep Cupcakes
These little sheep cupcakes are very easy to make and they look so cute, coated with white frosting and marshmallows, using Jelly beans as feet and ears, everyone loves these little sheep!
Easter Flower Cupcakes
Easter is almost here. It is another good time you can spend with your kids making some lovely and cute Easter cupcakes, these flower cupcakes are very simple and easy, and they look beautiful.
Baby Chicks Cupcakes-Easter
Yellow colored coconut flakes make these Easter chicks cupcakes look fluffy and cute, this is a great recipe to make with your kids, they will love these cutest chick cupcakes!
Gumdrop Cookies with Buttermilk
Soft gumdrop cookies made with buttermilk and brown sugar. The gumdrops stay chewy while the cookies bake up tender with slightly crisp edges.
Gumdrop Cake
Gumdrop cake studded with jewel-toned candies and plump raisins, kept moist with applesauce and warmed by cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon zest. A retro Christmas loaf that slices like stained glass.
Gumdrop Peanut Popcorn Cake
No-bake gumdrop peanut popcorn cake: a Bundt-shaped tower of popcorn, peanuts, and rainbow gumdrops bound by melted marshmallows and butter. A retro birthday party showpiece.
Nesselrode Pie
A frozen confection filling with a Christmas garden of cherry poinssttias and gumdrop holly atop.
Popcorn Snowmen
Popcorn snowmen stack three marshmallow-popcorn balls into edible snowmen decorated with gumdrop hats, fruit leather scarves, and candy buttons. A fun Christmas kid craft snack.
Family Tree Cookies
Family tree cookies are giant chocolate cookies shaped like trees with branches for piping family names. A fun baking project with kids using cocoa dough, chocolate chips, and royal icing.
Popcorn Snowman
Popcorn snowman craft built from hard-ball-stage caramel popcorn, stacked into a holiday centerpiece with gumdrop features and raisin buttons. A sweet, edible Christmas decoration kids can help make.
Popcorn Snowman
Popcorn snowman craft built from hard-ball-stage caramel popcorn, stacked into a holiday centerpiece with gumdrop features and raisin buttons. A sweet, edible Christmas decoration kids can help make.
Sweet Heart's Cake
A show-stopping heart-shaped cake for Valentine's Day made from one square and one round cake, frosted in pink vanilla buttercream and covered in tinted coconut. Decorated with gumdrop hearts and fruit roll bows.
Sweet Heart's Cake
A show-stopping heart-shaped cake for Valentine's Day made from one square and one round cake, frosted in pink vanilla buttercream and covered in tinted coconut. Decorated with gumdrop hearts and fruit roll bows.
Peanut Butter Pizza Cookies
Oversized peanut butter pizza cookies topped with chocolate frosting, cashews, candy pieces, coconut, gumdrops, and a white chocolate drizzle. A fun decorating project for kids.
Nasty Spider Cake
Halloween spider cake filled with green Jello that oozes when sliced, frosted black with licorice legs and gumdrop eyes. Gross, fun, and unforgettable.
Jack-O'-Lantern Cupcakes
Halloween Jack-O'-Lantern cupcakes made with pumpkin, buttermilk, and pumpkin pie spice, topped with pumpkin frosting and decorated with black licorice faces and green gumdrop stems.
Popcorn Marshmallow
Chewy popcorn balls loaded with peanuts and colorful gumdrops, held together with gooey melted marshmallows. A retro party treat.
Critters in the Hay
Critters in the Hay is a Halloween popcorn treat with pumpkin pie spice caramel corn, candy corn, licorice spiders, and gummy worms. A spooky party snack kids love.
Christmas Tree Cake
Christmas tree cake cut from a 13x9 sheet cake into a tree shape, frosted green and decorated with peppermint candies, pretzel rod trunk, and a gumdrop star. Festive holiday show-stopper from one boxed mix.
Easter Bunny Cake
Easter bunny cake built from carrot cake rounds with coconut "fur", paper ears, and jelly bean eyes. A classic family Easter project that turns a simple cake mix into a showpiece bunny on a platter.
Favourite Popcorn Cake
Popcorn cake binds popped popcorn, mixed nuts, and rainbow gumdrops with melted marshmallows and butter, then molds it all into a tube pan. A no-bake retro showstopper for parties and bake sales.
Jeweled Walnut Cookies
Jeweled walnut cookie bars studded with spiced gumdrops and chopped walnuts. A chewy, colorful bar cookie with no butter or oil, baked in a square pan and cut into bars.
Hidden Jewels
Hidden Jewels are brown sugar bar cookies studded with colorful gumdrops and walnuts, lightened with folded egg whites. A retro candy-filled treat kids love.
Gumdrop Squares with Butter Frosting
Vintage gumdrop squares: chewy brown sugar bars studded with chopped gumdrops and walnuts, finished with a tangy orange butter frosting. A retro Christmas cookie tray treat.
Channukah Candle Salad
A playful Hanukkah fruit salad the kids will love: banana halves standing in pineapple rings to look like candles, topped with orange gumdrop flames and green pepper handles. No cooking, just crafting and snacking.
Oatmeal Gumdrop Cookies
Chewy oatmeal cookies studded with colorful gumdrop pieces and toasted coconut. These fork-pressed treats bake up soft with crispy edges in just 10 minutes for an easy 5-dozen batch.
Popcorn Ring
Old-fashioned popcorn ring pressed into a mold and studded with spiced gumdrops, mini marshmallows, and whole pecans. A sticky-sweet caramel popcorn centerpiece for holiday gatherings.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Wreath
Chocolate chip pecan cookie dough shaped into festive wreath rings, baked golden, iced in white, and decorated with red and green gumdrop flowers. Makes 4 wreaths for holiday gifting, cookie swaps, or edible centerpieces.
Gumdrop Fruit Salad
Gumdrop fruit salad: a retro church-potluck classic with pineapple, grapes, marshmallows, gumdrops, and pecans bound in whipped cream and a cooked pineapple-lemon dressing.
Gumdrop Fruitcake
Gumdrop fruitcake with white raisins, chopped nuts, and colorful gumdrops in a spiced applesauce batter. A festive, kid-friendly alternative to traditional fruitcake.
Best Gumdrop Bread
Enjoy this colorful, make-ahead, festive quick bread loaded with chewy gumdrops for a fun holiday treat that's moist, tender, and perfect for gifting or slicing. Make at least one day to a week in advance for an easy grab and serve holiday plates.
