Edible Crystal Candy

Edible Crystal Candy is a fun way to make a statement to your cakes, desserts, etc. It's a Japanese candy made from agar-agar and made by pouring flavoured jelly into a mould, or a dish, allowing it to set before cutting. The candy has an outer crust but soft and chewy on the inside.

It can be flavoured using any extract or candy flavouring. It can also be coloured using liquid colours. Quite simple to make but be prepared for the chilling/drying time. 

Ingredients:

• 12g agar-agar (from any food specialist shop)
• 397ml cool water 
• 680g granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp candy flavouring (extract, oil flavours)
• 1/8 tsp citric acid (optional, give it a tart flavour)
• 3 drops liquid food colouring (any colours you like)

Equipment:

• Medium saucepan
• Deep glass dish

Method:

1. Oil the glass you will be using to pour the candy. 
2. Put the water in a medium-sized saucepan. Sprinkle agar-agar powder over the water and let it absorb for 5 minutes. 
3. Bring the mixture to a rolling simmer and stir continuously for 3 minutes using a spoon or silicone marise. 
4. Sprinkle in the sugar, and continue to cook for 3 minutes. 
5. Remove from the heat and add in the candy flavouring, and citric acid (optional).
6. Pour the mixture into a heatproof glass dish, be careful as it will be hot. Make sure it has been oiled beforehand, as you don't want the jelly to stick. 
7. Add the chosen liquid colours, you can streak it using the back of a spoon or a cocktail stick.
8. Place the glass dish in the refrigerator for 3 hours or until fully set. 

Cutting process:

1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Have some disposal gloves on hand too, this will help when handling the gummies once cut. 
2. Remove the gummy from the refrigerator, and cut it into shapes using a sharp knife. 
3. Place the cut gummies onto the lined baking tray and allow to dry at room temperature for 2-3 days until fully set and the outer layer has hardened.
4. Decorate as you wish by painting the edges with gold. 

There you have it, not only is it a relatively simple recipe, the gummies will look fab on any creation you make. 

If you make these, please do tag us in your photos on social media, we would love to see and will also do a reshare.