Black Currant Licorice Chewy (Printable)

A chewy confection mixing tart black currant with aromatic licorice for bold nostalgic flavors.

# What you need:

→ Fruit Base

01 - 1 cup black currant purée, fresh or thawed frozen black currants blended and strained
02 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

→ Sugar Syrup

03 - 1.5 cups granulated sugar
04 - 0.5 cup light corn syrup or glucose syrup
05 - 0.33 cup water

→ Gelatin Mixture

06 - 3 tablespoons powdered gelatin
07 - 0.33 cup cold water

→ Flavorings

08 - 1.5 teaspoons licorice extract or 2 teaspoons anise extract
09 - 0.25 teaspoon salt

→ Coating

10 - 0.25 cup confectioners sugar
11 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch

# Directions:

01 - Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and lightly grease the surface.
02 - In a small bowl, sprinkle powdered gelatin over 0.33 cup cold water and let stand for 10 minutes until fully bloomed.
03 - In a medium saucepan, combine black currant purée and lemon juice. Warm gently over low heat.
04 - In a separate saucepan, combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, and 0.33 cup water. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Attach a candy thermometer and bring to boil without stirring until syrup reaches 250°F.
05 - Remove syrup from heat. Stir bloomed gelatin into the hot syrup until completely dissolved.
06 - Pour the syrup-gelatin mixture into the warm black currant purée and whisk thoroughly until smooth and well combined.
07 - Stir in licorice extract and salt. Taste and adjust licorice or anise extract intensity as desired.
08 - Quickly pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
09 - Allow to cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until fully set and firm to the touch.
10 - Mix confectioners sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Dust a cutting board with the mixture, turn out the candy slab, and cut into 1-inch squares. Toss pieces in coating mixture to prevent sticking.

# Expert tips:

01 -
  • The flavor combination feels sophisticated and unexpected, like discovering a hidden café on a city street.
  • These are genuinely fun to make and the whole process feels like edible chemistry in the best way.
  • They're the kind of candy that makes people pause and ask what they're tasting, then ask for more.
02 -
  • Temperature accuracy on the syrup is everything—use a proper candy thermometer and don't guess, because even five degrees off changes the chewiness completely.
  • The blooming step for gelatin is not decorative, it's essential, and skipping or rushing it will give you grainy texture instead of silky chewy.
03 -
  • If your licorice extract tastes too harsh or medicinal straight from the bottle, you can bloom it in a spoon of warm water first to mellow it before stirring into the candy mixture.
  • A bench scraper or long knife dipped in hot water makes cutting the slab cleaner and smoother than a cold knife.
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