R2D2 molded from Opaque Gummy with no additional colouring added.
This is one of my three main gummy recipes. Use this when you want a solidly opaque candy. It has a mildly sweet flavour and colours can be added (although see my page about Speckling in Gummy (coming soon)).
Also see the Basic Gummy Tutorial for more tips on working with gummy in general, or the Clear Gummy Recipe (coming soon) for a no-colour, no-flavour base.
- 1 14-oz (397g) can of Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 5 envelopes of unflavoured gelatin (35g or 1.23oz)
- ½ cup of COLD water
- Optional: gel-based food colouring
- Put the water in a nonstick pot and add the gelatin powder. Allow to bloom (it will absorb all the water and become solid).
- Heat pot slowly over low heat until the gelatin is melted into a liquid.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk and mix thoroughly. Heat until warm (NOT BOILING) and it all comes together in a consistent, smooth liquid.
- Dispense into molds or make sheets as desired. A baster is the easiest way to dispense it with control.
- You can add food colouring to make other colours, although be aware that some brands of condensed milk are fairly yellow on their own, so your end colour may be affected by that. I do not recommend cheap watery colours as you'd have to use too much to make a difference and end up with soggy candy. I have not tested this with powder colours. White may speckle. See Eat-the-Evidence.com for details.
Note that it’s very important to use Sweetened Condensed Milk and not Evaporated Milk. Those are two completely different things. See the link below about Accidental Pie to see what I did when I grabbed the wrong can one day.
Notes on Working with Opaque Gummy
This gummy is softer than Basic gummy and stays more flexible when dried for a longer time. It can also be stickier, especially with high humidity, and it tears more easily than Basic, so be sure to let pieces set up in the fridge for a good long time before removing.
Like Basic gummy, you can draw on it with edible ink markers, but also as with Basic, the ink will bleed through if the gummy is fresh. But you can obtain excellent results on dried sheets, as I did for the face of my Lady of Shalott piece:
The Lady’s face is Opaque gummy tinted with the tiniest amount of Copper to create a flesh tone, then drawn on with edible ink markers, mostly in brown. Some portions were inked and then rubbed back as if working with pastel or soft lead pencil.
The Lady’s hand was made as the face. Her dress was Opaque with lots of White gel colour added, making it extremely soft and take ages to dry. It is drawn on with black edible in marker. The quilt panels are also that same whitened Opaque gummy with details drawn in edible inks. The pink cloth of the quilt is that same white Opaque gummy cast on a texture mat and then lightly sprayed with red food colour spray and wiped immediately.
There are more details on using Opaque gummy for this stained glass effect in my Flexible, Edible Stained Glass ebook.
Projects/Posts with Opaque Gummy
Molding Flesh-Like Gummy in Buttercream
Zombie Skin: Let’s Bite ‘em Back!
I Sssssee You – Gelatin Floral Art Meets Gummy and My Bizarre Brain
Accident Pie – Or How I Invented Chocolate Gummy
Experiments With White Opaque Gummy
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Great, thanks
Fantastic!
Is there anything you would suggest to make the gummy less sticky? I am making opaque gummy bears and don’t want them all sticking together. Thanks the recipe turned out great!
Less water or more gelatin would make it less sticky but you have to be careful about adjusting those things as they can change other elements of the recipe as well. You can also toss your bears in some corn starch or powdered sugar to help keep them apart. Good luck with it!