Thank you to everyone who participated in my recent Chocolate Giveaway!  I made Cranberry Jam and I asked you to guess what kind of candy I was making with it.  I really enjoyed reading your answers…for those of you who guessed jellies or pâté de fruit, you are correct!  (For contest purposes, I considered jellies and pâté de fruit to be correct answers.)  I chose the winner randomly from those of you who answered correctly…a huge congrats to Mollie!  Mollie, please email me your address and I’ll send out your prize.

Now for the pros and cons of this jelly candy.  The good thing is, making jelly candy isn’t as hard as you might think…actually, it’s really easy.  Also, it can be made a week ahead and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.  Lastly, it’s delicious; I really loved the flavors of the warm spices in the jam.  Ok, now the cons.  I only have one, really.  This candy has to be served pretty much immediately once it’s rolled in sugar (which is no small feat, with 80 pieces of candy!) because it has a tendency to lose water, which causes the sugar to get watery…yeah, not a pretty sight, and it means that this candy can’t be stored for any length of time.

I adopted this recipe from Jacques Pépin’s recipe for Raspberry Pâté de Fruit, and unless there’s something Jacques isn’t telling us, I’m pretty sure I messed it up somewhere along the way.  I think I might do a little experimenting and if I come up with a recipe that works better I’ll be sure to post it.  Otherwise, make these at your own risk (seriously, guys…if you’re really jonesing to make jelly candy, give Tartelette’s recipe a try instead…at least for now ;) ). 

This was my last post for my Halloween Candy-Making Event!*  (Sure went out with a bang, huh?  Lol!)  Anyway, I hope you have all enjoyed reading my candy posts as much as I’ve enjoyed making the candy!  Happy (almost) Halloween!

Cranberry Jellies (Cranberry Pâté de Fruit) (Adapted from Jacques Pépin’s recipe for Raspberry Pâté de Fruit)

(Yield:  About 80 pieces; I made 1-inch squares about 1/2-inch thick)

2 1/4 c cranberry jam

1/2 c plus 2/3 c cold water, divided

3/4 c sugar

5 tsp unflavored powdered gelatin

Sugar for coating (you can use regular sugar, or a larger grain sugar called sanding sugar)

Loaf pan (about 8-9 inches long by 5 inches wide by 3 inches deep)

Parchment paper

Canola oil

Paper towels (to pat any excess moisture off the candy)

Lightly spread a little oil on the bottom and sides of a loaf pan (about 8-9 inches long by 5 inches wide by 3 inches deep); line the pan with parchment paper so that it extends beyond the rim.

In a food processor or blender, puree the jam with 1/2 c water until smooth.  To a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cranberry puree and the sugar, and bring to a boil; turn the heat down and let it boil gently for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  (You should have 2 1/2 c of the cranberry puree after boiling.)

Add 2/3 c cold water to a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top without stirring.  Let the gelatin soften (takes about 1 minute), then microwave for 20 seconds, or until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  After microwaving, stir the gelatin to make sure it is completely dissolved; if not, microwave a few seconds more.  Stir the melted gelatin into the cranberry puree and pour the puree into the prepared pan.  Cool to room temperature, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (you can refrigerate up to 1 week if you want to make ahead).

Right before serving, turn the Pâté de Fruit out onto a cutting board; peel off the parchment paper, then use a sharp knife to cut into bite-size pieces.  (I got about 80 (1-inch) squares about 1/2-inch thick; I made 8 cuts across, and then cut each row into 10 pieces).  Use a paper towel to lightly pat each piece to remove any excess moisture.  Roll the pieces in sugar and serve immediately.*A big thank-you to Guittard for sponsoring my Halloween Candy-Making Event!