Cute Little Mango Gummies

I love mangoes!

No doubt you are familiar with the delicious golden yellow-orange flesh of the mango. However, the skin of the mango comes in many colors. Yellow, orange, red, green and purple all blended together like a watercolor painting... It appears as if a rainbow drizzled onto a mango.

When the mango tree is in season, there is an over-abundance of fruit. Mango trees are designed for sharing with the community--there's just more than one family can eat. A fresh mango should be enjoyed as-is, but overripe mangoes make delicious candy.

The cute mango shape 🥭 is what really makes these gummies fun. You can buy mango molds online, however I made my own. if you are interested in moldmaking, there are some fine Instructables to teach you how (see STEP 11 for a couple of links). But you can use any chocolate or candy molds you have, and if you don't have any molds, you can just pour the mixture into a pan and cut it into squares.

So let's get cooking--it's easy!

• mango puree
• granulated sugar
• Knox gelatin
• spatula; whisk, spoon
• measuring cup, measuring spoons
• saucepan
• candy or chocolate molds
• Blender
• paring knife
• strainer

This is a very simple recipe which I adapted from the box of Knox gelatin--I doubled the gelatin. You can adjust the amount, but this makes enough for about 20 little candies.

• 1 cup mango pulp (Measure after pureeing in a food processor or blender)
• 2 packets Knox gelatin (1/4 ounce each)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Gather your utensils, the blender, and the saucepan. Gather the ingredients and measure out the sugar and the mango pulp.

If you're using frozen mangoes, you can just thaw them and blend them (skip this step).

This is how to make mango puree out of fresh mangoes.

Technique 1- Use this technique if your mango is firm. Cut both sides off from the middle part, where the seed is. Make crisscrossed cuts through the flesh but not through the skin-- and not through your skin either! Be careful not to cut yourself! Then turn them inside out, so the squares of mango are sticking up (see pictures). It's a pretty way to serve fresh mango. Now you can cut off the squares. Finally, cut off as much as you can around the seed.

Technique #2 -- For overripe mangoes. First, peel the mangoes. The pictures show how to use a small paring knife to peel the skin. Next, cut as much flesh as you can off the ripe mangoes. Separating the large seed is a little difficult because the flesh is strongly attached to it. Basically, if it's very ripe, you can just squeeze the rest of the flesh off the seed. Keep the seeds separate.

TO PUREE: Blend the pulp (or use a food processor) to puree it into a smooth, thick liquid. Finally, (optional) you can strain it.

Add the mango pulp and sugar together in a saucepan until and allow it to boil. Stir to make sure that the sugar is completely melted. Turn to low and cover, let it cook a little while you do the next step (preparing the gelatin).

While the mango puree and sugar are cooking, you need to start to soften the gelatin (bloom it). I find it easy to use my glass measuring cup for this step (it's good because it is able to take heat--for the next step). Measure out 1/4 cup of room temperature water, then sprinkle the gelatin powder into the water in the measuring cup. Allow the gelatin to soak in, then gently stir until it is dissolved in the water. Keep adding more gelatin a little at a time (just sprinkling on the surface of the water until it is moistened and then stirring it in gently). Take your time to do this until you have added both packets.

Pour the hot mango/sugar mixture into the gelatin/water mixture. Stir to make sure it is well dissolved. Avoid over-stirring, since this will interfere with the gelatin setting up.

Carefully pour or spoon it into your molds. If you don't have molds, you can just fill another container, such as a square glass baking dish (you can cut it into squares if you mold it in a flat baking dish).

Allow the candy to cool to room temperature. Once it is cool, you can put into the refrigerator overnight (24 hours). You want it to gel up nice and firm.

Once the candies have been thoroughly cooled in the fridge, you should be able to unmold them. If they are still somewhat soft or you have a problem with unmolding, give it more time to gel. If it is nice and firm, you could slip your paring knife around the top edge and/or try a little warm water on the back of the mold. If you molded it in a pan, use a knife to cut the candy into squares.

Enjoy these delicious treats! Also, share with friends--especially if someone gifted you with the mangoes. This will encourage them to give you more at the next harvest.

Being able to create your own molds is fun!

If you want to learn more about moldmaking, check out these two Instructables. There are also many more YouTube videos you can learn from.

Be creative!