gelatin-based pink lemonade gummies from watermelon, lemon, and honey, Core-compliant as written

Stand next to a bowl of party candy on Core AIP and the honest answer is that almost none of it is built from food: dye, corn syrup, gum bases, ingredient names that read more like chemistry than food. These gummies solve the actual craving, something sweet, something you can hold and chew, without needing a single item off that list.

Grass-fed gelatin is mostly glycine, and that amino acid gives the gut's lining something to rebuild itself with, in the same quiet way a good broth does. Watermelon and lemon do the rest of the work with a little vitamin C and real tartness, the kind that makes something taste bright instead of just sweet.

Pour these into small molds if you have them, or a flat dish you can cut into squares later, and let the pink hold your attention for a second before it disappears into your mouth. A treat like this asks for a slower minute than most candy gets, and that slower minute is part of why it works better than the fast kind ever did.

Ingredients

• 2 cups watermelon, cubed
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3.5 tbsp grass-fed beef gelatin

Swap note: no swaps were needed. Watermelon, lemon, honey, and gelatin are all Core-compliant, so the recipe stands as written. Note that honey makes these unsuitable for babies under one year.

Method

Blend the watermelon and lemon juice until fully liquid. Pour through a fine mesh strainer set over a small saucepan, pressing on the pulp to get all the juice out.

Whisk the honey into the strained juice. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface, stir lightly, and let it rest for a couple of minutes to bloom; it will look firm and a little wrinkled.

Warm the pan over low heat for three to four minutes, stirring, until the gelatin is fully melted and the mixture is smooth and liquid. Do not let it boil.

Fill gummy molds with a dropper, or pour into a flat glass container to slice later. Refrigerate for four to six hours until fully set. Pop them from the molds and keep them in the fridge for four to five days.

A mushy result usually means the gelatin did not fully bloom or the mixture was not heated quite enough, so give both steps their full time.

*Adapted from unboundwellness.com*