Kohakutou candy recipe
Kohakutou is a Japanese candy made from Agar Agar and translates to "amber candy". Kohakutou is made by pouring flavored jelly into a dish and allowing it to set before cutting or tearing into crystal shapes. The candy develops a crunchy outer crust after a few days but remains delightfully chewy inside.
I first saw this recipe on Emmymade in Japan's YouTube channel. I was fascinated by the crystalizing gummies and thought they would be great for a geode cake.
How do you make Kohakutou?
Making the kohakutou is actually really simple. You dissolve the agar agar into the water and bring it to a boil. This is different than using gelatin, you would never boil gelatin, only bloom and then dissolve it.
Then you add in the sugar. Let the sugar mixture boil for 2-3 minutes. There is a lot of sugar because of two reasons.
- This is candy. Candy is usually very sweet and full of sugar
- There needs to be a high amount of sugar to start the chain reaction of crystalization
Take the mixture off the heat and add in some flavoring. I used cotton candy flavoring because I didn't want to color my jelly and cotton candy was clear. I also added a small amount of citric acid to add a little tartness to the candy and cut the sweet taste.
Pour the sugar mixture about ½" thick into a lightly oiled container. I ended up using two containers. Add a few drops of liquid food coloring and swirl it together.
I noticed that the color likes to sit on top of the jelly so I had to use a skewer to kind of make circles going from the top of the jelly down to the bottom. I decided not to fully mix it because I liked the swirls.
Put the mixture into the fridge and let it chill for a few hours. Mine set in only one hour.
How do you make edible crystals?
Once your mixture is set, you can pull it out of the container and slice it into crystals shapes.
I started by cutting my jelly into strips, then into 1" tall rectangles. I used my paring knife to cut the tip into a point so it resembled a crystal shape.
I put the cut off pieces onto a tray as well to use later. No waste!
When the crystals are fresh, they are very clear and super pretty. Very firm and pretty transparent. You could honestly use them on a cake just like this but they started getting a crystal skin on them fairly quickly.
After one day, this is what they looked like.
What does Kohakutou taste like?
We all were dying to try the crystal candy and I actually thought it was really good. The texture is not as chewy as regular gummy candy but still very good. I love the contrast between the gummy center and the crunchy exterior.
The crystals will continue to get a thicker crust over a few days. I painted my edges with a touch of gold paint and thought they looked really beautiful.
These edible crystals would be amazing on a geode cake or as favors. I have so many ideas! The best part of these crystal gummies is that they are really inexpensive to make. I used the recommended brand of agar agar (telephone brand) and it was about .80 a packet. Way cheaper than isomalt and a lot easier on the teeth.
How long does Kohakutou candy last?
You can store the candy in an airtight container at room temperature for about two weeks before they start to dry out and get too hard.
Want more gummy candy ideas? Check these out
Wine Gummy
Real Gummy Bear Recipe
Beer Gummy
Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Container
Ingredients
- 12 grams agar agar (telephone brand)
- 14 ounces cool water
- 24 ounces sugar
- ¼ teaspoon candy flavoring
- ⅛ teaspoon citric acid optional - adds a tart flavor
- 3 drops liquid food coloring I used Americolor airbrush color
Instructions
- Place cool water into a medium-sized saucepan
- Sprinkle agar agar powder over the water and let it absorb for 5 minutes
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly with a spatula
- Sprinkle in your sugar and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes
- Remove from the heat and add in candy flavoring and citric acid
- Pour the mixture into a heatproof, glass dish that has been lightly oiled to prevent sticking
- Add a few drops of liquid food coloring on top and swirl with a toothpick. You can blend fully or leave it streaked
- Place the container into the fridge for 2-3 hours until set
- Remove the set gummy from the container and cut into crystal shapes using a sharp knife
- Place the crystal gummies onto a parchment covered cookie sheet and let dry at room temperature for 2-3 days until a hard crust forms on the outside
Hani says
They looks so gorgeous! Can't wait to try this! Thank you!
The Sugar Geek Show says
You're welcome hani! I can't wait to see what your creativity comes up with 🙂
Juliet says
Saw this on your story on 4th March and could not wait for you to share the recipe.Gonna have to find me some Agar agar.?
Nicci D says
Thank you for sharing Liz. What is the shelf life of these crystals. ? Do you just store in a container?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Two weeks in an airtight container 😀
Yasmin Hall says
These look so fun!! Thanks for sharing this with us. ?
Sofi says
Can i use something else instead of agar agar??? gelatine maybe???thanks ..i am a big fan of your talent,you are amazing ? ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I don't think you would get the same results with regular gelatin but you can always experiment 🙂
Rosa says
How lone do these candies last? Also what would be the best way to store them? Was thinking of making them for a party but wanted to put them into celo bags. These are great, thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
They last about two weeks 🙂
tina says
They're so amazing looking. I can't wait to try them. Do you know if they can be stored for a later date or how long will they last?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about two weeks before they dry out
Michelle says
Could the mixture be poured into small mould shapes (like chocolate moulds)? Would it pop out of the moulds easily?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I dont know for sure but I think they would if they were lightly oiled 🙂
Sara says
Hi, Can you use fruit juice instead of water? I have passion fruit juice I would love to use.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes! That sounds amazing!
Angie says
Could the recipe be halved To make a smaller batch?? Thanks liz cant wait to try them!
The Sugar Geek Show says
absolutely!
Angie says
Hey Liz just i made this recipe tonight for the second time (first time turned out great) however after 3 hours of it being in the fridge it still hasnt set, any idea what could have gone wrong? Only difference was i mixed the color through dont know if it was that , please let me know thanks
The Sugar Geek Show says
Are you sure you used the same brand of agar agar (telephone brand?)
Michelle says
I used to make agar agar dessert when I was little back in South East Asia. From what I recall, agar agar would turn watery over time.
However, I’m excited to try your recipe and use them for geode cake. What’s the best “adhesive” to stick these crystals to fondant?
The Sugar Geek Show says
It depends on the brand. These crystals do not turn watery. I used ganache at peanut butter consistency to attached them to my cake to make crystal clusters
anna says
could i just make this with regular gelatine?
The Sugar Geek Show says
The results will not be the same unfortunately
Christopher Henry says
How to extend the shelf life? Like other candies having shelf like 6months to a year
Elizabeth Marek says
As far as I know you cannot extend the shelf life of this candy, it just dries out.
Ana says
I made them using a different agar-agar brand that I had at home and it didn’t work exactly the same, still very pretty but too soft inside. So I ordered the recommended brand and tried again. It worked like a charm! Still waiting for them to dry completely, but they are perfect! I’m in love with these crystals. Thank you so much for the tutorial, Liz!
Janeen says
Hi Liz, I’ve been looking for the metric conversion box but can’t see it (perhaps I’m a bit blind!!??) If it’s not there, could it be added please?
Elizabeth Marek says
I updated it for you 🙂
Kells says
I want to make these but have a question about the weights - everything is listed in ounces with grams converted except the Agar Agar. Is that 12 grams or 12 ounces?
Elizabeth Marek says
Hi there. The agar agar is in grams because it's such a small amount it would't even register in ounces.
Sam says
My Crystal's kind of explode into a millions pieces in my mouth. Its looks like jelly but it just breaks apart in two bites, very unlike gummy or jelly texture. What did I do wrong??
Elizabeth Marek says
Did you use the recommended brand of agar agar or another brand?
Shweta says
Hello Liz , thanks for the amazing recipe. I tried it but with agar agar flakes n it came out perfect. I did only half the recipe and got a lot of candy. It’s Eden brand n available in Canada. I bought it from whole foods. Thanks again
Valerie Hunter says
In the next couple of weeks I am making a whiskey barrel cake with ice cubes (non colored) filling the top of the barrel. Will these kohakutou crystals work for this?
Btw I love your cake and cupcake recipes and use them all the time!!
Elizabeth Marek says
yes this will work for that
Angela says
Hello, I made these tonight. I’m a candy maker, so I use candy oil flavoring and gel food coloring. Do you think I need to use a water based food coloring for this recipe? And a liquid food coloring? Or does it matter? It seemed like the oil flavoring just grouped up in bubbles and the gel coloring did too. I just stuck them in the fridge, so I’ll have some results tomorrow. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Thank you!
Angela
Elizabeth Marek says
I think oil will not mix in with the liquid very well
Jasmine says
Can I somehow incorporate jam as a flavouring in this recipe?
Elizabeth Marek says
Im not sure how, maybe if you watered the jam down to a liquid?
Angela says
I used agar agar from a whole foods shop online. I struck it lucky as it worked. Thank you. I only used half the ingredients and I have more crystals than I know what to do with 🤣 x
Elizabeth Marek says
Yay!! Let me know the brand in case anyone else needs to know!
Crystal says
The texture is off...did I maybe over cook it? It’s not chewy at all just breaks apart. I did use the telephone brand agar agar. I made them last night and they are also just sweating. Any trouble shooting advice before I remake them? They look amazing and the idea is so cool. Just want them to actual have a good mouth feel too. Thanks!
Elizabeth Marek says
The texture sounds right, they are not chewy like gummy bears. You can see in my video that they just kind of rip apart. I don't know about the sweating problem.
Sarah says
Thanks for the recipe! I ordered agar agar from Amazon and it was not the telephone brand, they never hardened after 3 days sitting out, just stayed like jello. I reordered the telephone brand and it made all the difference. Thanks so much!