Homemade Gumdrops

 Happy Valentine's Day!  I made these yummy gumdrops for my kids to give as part of their Valentines for their friends.  They had Mickey Mouse Valentine's and so I figured it would be fun to use the Mickey cookie cutter shape.  I thought they turned out really cute and I was surprised how easy they were to make.  

Homemade Gumdrops
2 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 cups applesauce
2 pkgs. (3oz. each) red gelatin
2 envelopes (.25 oz each ) unflavored gelatin
1 tsp. lemon juice

Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray and place in refrigerator.  Combine 2 cups sugar, applesauce, red gelatin, unflavored gelatin, and lemon juice in a large saucepan.  Let stand for 1 minute.  Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute and then immediately poor into cold baking dish.  Refrigerate until firm (about 3 hours).  Loosen sides of gelatin with a spatula and onto cutting board or wax paper.  Use sharp cookie cutters to cut out gumdrops.  Sprinkle sugar over a piece of wax paper and place gumdrops on top of sugar.  Let dry out for 8 hours or until slightly sticky.  Roll in remaining sugar and store in airtight container.