MAKE IT CUTE

July 18 is National Sour Candy Day. What better way to celebrate the holiday than by making your v. own sour candy at home? Even if you’ve never made candy before, these recipes from foodies and bloggers around the web will make it easy for you to whip up some delicious treats. For the gals who prefer eating sour candy to making it from scratch, we’ve also included recipes that incorporate store-bought sour candy as one of their yummy ingredients.

Extreme Sour Gummy Bears

Image courtesy of The Food Network

That’s right—this recipe fuses the goodness of gummy bears with a serious dose of sour flavor. What you’ll need: sweetened and unsweetened gelatin powder, sugar, citric acid, and 50-count gummy bear molds. The video on the Food Network website makes following the instructions a breeze. Just don’t forget to spray your molds with nonstick cooking spray before you pour in your mixture. This recipe is meant to be enjoyed immediately for the best taste and texture, so feel free to invite your friends over to help you finish them off.

Super Sour Halloween Gummy Worms

Image courtesy of Alton Brown

While this recipe from Alton Brown was first cooked up as a Halloween treat, there’s no one stopping you from making them year-round. With a thinner texture than your typical store-bought worm (and much more sour flavor), your friends and fam are bound to love this unique take on the candy. Once again, your primary ingredients are sugar, gelatin, and citric acid, but pay attention to the other ingredients on the list. If you decide to tackle this recipe, keep in mind that a little food coloring goes a long way.

Sour Patch Grapes

Image courtesy of Sabrina Snyder

Here to remind you of a certain sour candy, this recipe for sour patch grapes puts a healthy twist on the movie theater snack. Plus, the recipe is super simple—it only has two ingredients. The first one, of course, is grapes, fresh or frozen if you want a chillier treat. The second ingredient is Jolly Ranchers gelatin mix. If you can’t find this at your local store, any other Jell-O gelatin mix should work fine (as long as it’s not sugar-free). Making this recipe for your younger sibs, cousins, or friends? Skip freezing the grapes and cut them in half for an easier-to-eat treat.

Rainbow Soda Pops

Image courtesy of Dawn Lopez

If the name hasn’t already got your mouth watering, whipping up this recipe certainly will. First things first: find popsicle molds in stores or online. Your ingredients list is once again minimal: lemon-lime soda and a pack of Airheads Xtremes belts (not the bites). Layer two belts in wavy shapes on the inside of each popsicle mold. Then, pour your soda in until it’s about ½ an inch from the top. Freeze for about four hours, unmold, and enjoy your DIY sour pops.

Super Sour Cake

Image courtesy of Betty Crocker

This outrageously sour cake recipe from Betty Crocker tastes just as bold as it looks. Candy lovers will enjoy the overall sour flavor and gummy worm decor, while pastry fans will be delighted by the colorful, spongy cake. If you’ve made a cake from boxed mix before, you know the recipes aren’t too hard to follow. Combine this recipe with the sour gummy worms recipe above for a made-from-scratch decor that will put your cake over the top.

Sour Patch Kids Cookies

Image courtesy of Melissa Rose

The final recipe celebrating sour candy on our list is Melissa Rose’s original Sour Patch Kids cookies. Instant vanilla pudding mix in the dough makes this cookie something special. The sour candies are a welcome contrast in flavor to the sweetness of the cookie itself. Plus, this recipe gives you practice making cookies from scratch. Grab a parent or sibling to speed up the baking process so you can enjoy the cookies together.

Give any of these delish recipes a try? Share your results with us by tagging @girlslifemag on Instagram!

Title image: Pexels/Polina Tankilevitch

by Bailey Bujnosek | 7/18/2021