Jordbærdrops til jul - Småbruket Gård

En av forberedelsene vi gjør før julen ringes inn er å lage drops. Det er en kjekk tradisjon og siden det er så søtt og godt, er det best om vi bare lager dem til jul. Det er dessuten en fin gave å gi bort til venner og familie. Som regel lager vi både Polkagriser og Kongen av Danmark, men favoritten det er jordbærdrops.

Det er ikke så vanskelig å lage drops, så lenge man forbereder seg godt og sørger for å ha det nødvendige utstyret i nærheten når man skal til med den varme dropsmassen. Jeg legger alltid klar det jeg trenger allerede før jeg varmer ovnen. Og så har jeg en liten huskeliste med gode råd jeg skriver ned hver gang jeg lager drops, og ser hva som kan forbedres. Etterhvert har jeg fått en veldig god rutine på det hele. Les gjennom hele oppskriften før du går i gang.

Equipment

A saucepan with a lid. A glass lid is best.
Kitchen scale.
Thermometre up to 200 degrees Celsius.
Trivets, strategically placed.
A bowl and brush for cooking oil.
Silicone mat for baking.
A towel to place under the silicone mat.
At least two plastic scrapers.
Pipettes to measure colour and aroma.
Two good scissors.
At least one good helper.
A small flour sieve and a bowl for powdered sugar.
Glass jars with lids.
Enough gloves to go around. I use light cotton gloves under two layers of clean dishwashing gloves. The sugar mixture will be really hot!

Ingredients

1 dl water
450 g sugar
125 g dextrose
Cooking oil
2 tsp citric acid
1,5 ml (30 drops) red food colouring
2 ml (40 drops) strawberry aroma
Powdered sugar for rolling

Fremgangsmåte: Dropsmasse

Start by getting everything ready for making the candy drops. Put a towel under the silicone mat to protect the kitchen counter form the heat. Place a trivet, scrapers, scissors, a brush and a bowl filled with cooking oil nearby. Make sure the gloves are easy to reach.
It is easiest to measure up the colouring and aroma before you start. Sieve the citric acid to avoid lumps.
Coat the silicone mat, scrapers and scissors with cooking oil. Be generous.
Get your pot, another trivet, and thermometer, and measure the ingredients for the sugar mixture, water, sugar and dextrose.
To make the sugar mixture make sure you pour the water into the pot first. Then add the sugar, and finally the dextrose. Do not stir!
Put on a lid and let the mixture boil for a minute or two. Then remove the lid and keep boiling, while keeping a close eye on the temperature. Stop when you reach a place between 157 and 165 degrees Celcius. 162 degrees is perfect! Do not let the temperature rise above 165 degrees or the candy will have a burnt taste.

Fremgangsmåte: Smak, farge og klipping

When the sugar mixture has the correct temperature, it is time to pour it onto the silicone mat. Put on your gloves before you do this.
Keep the oil coated scrapers ready and use them to keep the mixture on the silicone mat. After about one minute you can add the citric acid. Use the scrapers to fold the mixture into the middle of the mat. The heat will melt the powder. Add food colouring and mix until combined. Add more cooking oil to the mat and scrapers as needed.
Make a small dent in the sugar mixture and add the aroma. Keep mixing.
When the sugar mixture is cool enough to handle with gloves, it's time to make the candy drops. Stretch the sugar mixture and cut into drop-sized pieces with the scissors. You will have to work fast as the sugar mixture is about to harden. Make sure the candy drops are scattered on the mat or they will melt back together.
Roll the candy drops in a bowl of powdered sugar to coat. Sieve and place them in an airtight jar.