When I visited Hawaii, Wet Li Hing Mui gummy bears became my favorite snack of all time. And I decided to find a way to make my own, as traveling back to Hawaii for a new portion was totally out of the question.
I think that I managed to nail it pretty nicely and I am here to share with you the results. We’re going to learn today how to make wet Li Hing Mui gummy bears: a fast ans extremely simple recipe!
The main thing that makes you love these gummy bears is the Li Hing Mui powder itself. Originally from China, it became a thing in Hawaii when a Chinese immigrant imported it back in the early 1900s and started using it.
By far the best thing that came out were the Li Hing Mui flavored gummy bears and we’ll have to jump straight into the recipe below. My mouth is watering already!
So take a trip to your local mom and dad crack seed stores and get that Wet Li Hing Mui, grab some gummy bears and come back home to prepare the treat. (But I have a recipe as well if you want to do everything from scratch)
Ingredients for Wet Li Hing Mui Gummy Bears
I prefer, just because it is a lot easier and more convenient to simply buy the gummy bears and add the Li Hing Mui myself. I love making gummy bears just as much as I love gathering my son’s hundreds of miniature figurines three times per day, each day (so not too much). So I’m all for bagged, store-brought gummy bears!
So here is what you need:
– One bag of your favorite gummy bears (10 ounce)
– Juice from one medium orange (or lemon if you dare)
– 2 teaspoons Li Hing Mui powder
How to prepare:
In a large bowl (enough to hold all the gummy bears), mix the orange/lemon juice with the Li Hing Mui powder until it’s all wet and nice. Then add the gummy bears and mix them well together.
As soon as you’re done, you can enjoy your wet Li Hing Mui gummy bears!
Why add the orange/lemon juice?
I found that trying to mix the powder itself with just the gummy bears was not satisfactory enough. It wouldn’t spread evenly and, even worse, it wouldn’t stick.
The juice takes care of that and, if you use lemon, adds an extra layer of sourness to the mix. (Mouth watering again – just like yours, probably).
Wet Li Hing Mui Gummy Bears (100% Homemade)
If you want to do everything from scratch, including the gummy bears, then you can definitely do so. In my opinion, it’s just too much work for this snack and for me it was enough to make Gummy Bears to understand that.
But, if you want to have full control over the ingredients and eat a slightly healthier snack, here is what you need to make your own, from scratch:
– 1 cup of juice (orange, blood orange, lemon or any other flavor you want for your gummy bears)
– 4 table spoons sugar (or honey if you want it healthier)
– 4 tbsp gelatin
– 2 teaspoons Li Hing Mui powder
Instructions to make:
1. In a small sauce pan, heat the fruit juice with the sugar or honey. Stir well until completely dissolved, but don’t bring to a boil.
If it’s the first time making this, you can taste the liquid and see if it’s sweet enough for you. You can add more sugar/honey if not.
IMPORTANT: Some juices/fruits are sweeter than others. If you get apple juice for example, or grape juice, these will be by default much sweeter. In this case, add just half of the sugar and test to see if more is needed.
2. When you are satisfied with the sweetness, start adding in the gelatin. Add it slowly and keep stirring. Wait until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
3. When the mixture is done (it thickens a bit and looks glassy), transfer it to a cup and pour it in your gummy bear tray.
This part is tricky and you will make a mess. You can reduce some of that by pouring the mixture with a spoon. This is the “fun’ part.
4. Place the filled tray in your freezer and let it sit for around 15 minutes. Then take it out and let it sit for another 15 minutes.
6. Take out your homemade gummy bears from the tray and in a bowl, mix them well with the Li Hing Mui powder. (you can also mix it with some orange juice as recommened above).
And this is it! You now hae made your own wet Li Hing Mui gummy bears from scratch! Enjoy!