Pectin Instead of Corn Starch: So What?

Russell Stover Pectin Jelly Beans

Weirdos like me who just about live on jelly beans (not really – I also eat burritos) know we’re eating something that’s mostly sugar. It’s the other ingredients that set the various beans apart. While that’s usually a matter of flavor, there’s also a school of jelly-bean creation that calls for a slightly different gelling agent: pectin. The jelly in most beans turns from sugary glop into gel because of the addition of corn starch, but a few brands of beans use pectin instead – just like my mom used when making her own jam and jelly.

The easiest brand of pectin-based beans to find is Russell Stover Pectin Jelly Beans (a premium bean, according to the package). The beans are the traditional size and shape; none of that mini business practiced by the gourmet brands. Another difference is that Russ sticks to the traditional flavors. There’s no buttered popcorn, no banana cream pie, just seven fruit flavors like the Brach’s I bought as a kid.

I'd almost rather eat some of those Beanboozled flavors!

Nerds® Bumpy Jelly Beans

As Easter draws near, the jelly bean shelves in my local stores start to fill. Sometimes I’m desperate enough for a new and different taste to buy before the day-after-Easter sales, which is why I brought home a bag of Nerds® Bumpy Jelly Beans from the local Kroger. At least they were on sale, setting me back only two bucks for a 13-ounce bag.

Valentine's Day Jelly Beans? I'm a Fan!

Gimbal's Cherry Lovers

They say that in spring, a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of love. Mine, on the other hand, turns to jelly beans – that’s what happens when you’re a fiend! I usually have to wait for Easter to stock up on jelly beans, but this year I chanced on some that seem to have been made with Valentine’s Day in mind. They’re from Gimbal’s Fine Candies, and they’re called Cherry Lovers. The reason I think that February 14th is on the mind of the candy maker? They’re heart-shaped!

Not all that Good, but Plenty of 'Em

Wiley Wallaby Outback Beans (Red)

Who was I to know that when Wiley Wallaby called this candy Australian Style Outback Beans (with chewy red centers) that they didn’t mean they were jelly beans? I mean, really: the picture of candy on the package sure looks like jelly beans!

All it took was one little taste, though, and I recognized the little fakes for exactly what they are: the USA’s oldest candy, Good & Plenty, reinvented. By “reinvented” I mean that the center is red licorice… errr, “liquorice,” according to Wikipedia… instead of black, with a candy coating in green, yellow, and orange instead of pink and white. Thank heavens the center is red instead of black, or I might have just given them the ol’ heave-ho.