Strawberry, Hibiscus and Coconut Cream Gummy Lollies

Wild hibiscus are in season at the moment over here in Vietnam and if you are lucky enough to get them fresh they are great to add to salads or to make a lovely tea. Tart, crisp with a beautiful deep red colour, I have also strung them up for our Christmas tree decorations along with some star anise and cinnamon quils. While making my persimmon and cream gummies (see recipe here) at my friend Mahi’s house, she gifted me with a big bag of fresh hibiscus flowers not knowing what else to do with them apart from making her traditional egyptian sweetened hibiscus tea. Since I was fully equipped with my gelatin, I ended up making these yummy strawberry, hibiscus and coconut cream gummy lollies 🙂

Strawberry, Hibiscus and Coconut Cream Gummy Lollies

I recommend using a good quality grass fed gelatin which doesn’t work out much more per gram than the commercial gelatin found in the supermarkets. I use Great Lakes brand which you can buy from iherb or amazon and the large container lasts a long time! (If you are living in Vietnam like I am at the moment, iherb does deliver to Vietnam and you can use my affiliate discount code BBH440 to get $5 off your first order).

STRAWBERRY, HIBISCUS AND COCONUT CREAM GUMMY LOLLIES

• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp gelatin (buy from iherb or amazon)

Strawberry, Hibiscus and Coconut Cream Gummy Lollies

Method:

• place the 3-4 tbsp gelatin in 1/2 cup of water to allow the granules to bloom
• place the strawberries and hibiscus in a saucepan with 1 cup of water over medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, strain and return the liquid to the saucepan

Strawberry, Hibiscus and Coconut Cream Gummy Lollies

• add the 1/2 cup of water and gelatin (it should look like jelly by now)
• heat gently (do not boil) and keep stirring until the gelatin is dissolved
• add 3-4 tbsp of honey and mix well
• taste the mixture, it should be slightly sweeter than preferred as it will be less sweet once set, add more honey if required as the hibiscus can be quite tart
• pour in a glass or ceramic dish large enough for the liquid to come to about 1cm thick
• place in the freezer to set while you make the coconut layer
• place the coconut milk in a clean saucepan, sprinkle in 2 tsp gelatin and allow to bloom for 5 minutes
• gently heat the coconut milk (do not boil) and stir constantly until the gelatin is dissolved
• add 1 tbsp of honey
• check whether the strawberry and hibiscus layer has set yet, this should take about 30 minutes approximately (it shouldn’t move in the middle if you jiggle the container)
• once set, pour the coconut layer on top and return to the freezer for another 30 minutes or refrigerator for 2 hours or over night
• cut into small cubes and store in a closed glass container for up to a week

These were the natural decorations we made last year with wild hibiscus, cinnamon quits and star anise

Hope you enjoy!