Mixing the Ingredients
Mix juice, sugar, and gelatin. In a large mixing bowl or saucepan, mix one cup of fruit juice with four packets of gelatin and two table spoons of sugar. A thin juice like cran-apple, grape, or cranberry works best. For a healthier version, you can leave the sugar out. The worms will not be as sweet. Another low-sugar variation is to substitute one of the gelatin packets for a package of any flavor of sugar-free gelatin snacks. You can also add any flavor of Kool-Aid to get different colors or tastes. This is optional.
Add boiling water. Boil one cup of water on the stove, then add it to the mixture. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. The liquid should be smooth and thick.
Add cream. For opaque worms, add about two table spoons of cream or half and half. Stir it up. If you want translucent gummy worms, skip the cream. You may want to add a little more juice in step one if you decide not to use cream.
Forming the Worms
Create your mold. Stand up about 50 large straws in straight-sided jar, such as a one-quart mason jar. Wide straws, such as those used for milkshakes, work best. You may need to use a rubber band to keep the straws together and upright. Use more than one jar if necessary, to fit all 50 straws.
Prepare a cold-water bath. Place your jar of straws in a container, such as a casserole dish, containing about two inches of ice-cold water.
Pour in half of the mixture. Carefully and evenly pour half of your worm mixture into the straws. Fill them up about two inches.
Add food coloring. If you want multicolored gummy worms like the ones in stores, add a few drops of food coloring to the remaining mixture. If you don't care about having multicolored worms, you can skip this and the next step. Just pour all of the mixture into the straws.
Wait, then pour. Wait for the mixture in the straws to solidify. It should take ten to twenty minutes. Once the mixture in the straws is solid, add the rest. Pour as evenly as possible.
Let the worms sit overnight. Remove the jar from the ice bath and put it in the fridge to sit overnight.
Remove the straws. Pull the straws out of the jar. They may be difficult to remove because of the excess gummy material in the bottom. You can use a knife to score around the outside of edge of the straws to make removal easier.
Clear away excess gummy material. Use a knife to remove excess gummy material from the sides and ends of the straws. It should cut away easily. This material may not be shaped like worms, but it's still tasty! Don't let it go to waste!
Remove the worms from the straws. With your fingers or a rolling pin, squeeze the worms out of the straws. Work from the empty end down. The worms may be easier to remove if you run the straws under warm water for a few seconds. Don't do it too long or your worms may melt.
Eat and store. Eat some of your worms! You should store those that you aren't going to eat right away in the fridge in an airtight container. To be sure they don't stick together, you can lightly spray the worms with a little vegetable oil. Toss and refrigerate.
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