Make Chewing Gum

To make chewing gum, you can purchase kits that come with everything you need to make chewing gum, or you can put it all together yourself, as in this article.

Ingredients

 * 1 oz gum base
 * Gum base is notoriously difficult to find outside of a kit, especially if you aren't buying in bulk. An American company called Glee Gum sells 4 oz of chicle gum base here.
 * Flavoring, to taste (look for "candy flavoring" online, or use flavoring directly, like cinnamon powder or vanilla extract)
 * 1 cup confectioner's sugar
 * 1 1/2 tbsp. corn syrup
 * Food coloring (optional)

Steps

 * 1) Unfold a piece of waxed paper. Use it to cover a cutting board, dinner plate, or a part of the kitchen table. Place about half of the powdered sugar on to the waxed paper. Create a crater in the pile of sugar.
 * 2) Empty the gum pellets into a mixing container, then the corn syrup, food coloring, and flavoring. The pellets need to be melted in order to mix the sugar.
 * 3) Place the gum pellets and corn syrup mixture into a microwave oven set on high for 10 seconds. Keep zapping it at 10 second intervals, until it's completely melted.
 * 4)  Slowly add the hot mixture to the powdered sugar (in the crater) while mixing with a spoon. Work the gum into the sugar until it is all absorbed, adding more sugar as needed. When it is cool enough to handle, you can knead it like dough. Keep adding sugar and kneading until it doesn't absorb anymore.
 * 5) Cut the gum into pieces and wrap.

Alternative Ingredients
Makes approx. 1/2 lb of gum. Melt gum base, citric acid, corn syrup and glycerin together, add food coloring and flavoring, then knead and prepare as instructed above.
 * 1/3 cup gum base
 * 1/2 cup powdered sugar
 * 2 Tbs corn syrup
 * 1 teaspoon glycerin
 * 1/4 tsp citric acid
 * 5-7 drops flavoring

Tips

 * Homemade gum is more difficult to make bubbles with, and the flavor may not last as long as with commercial gum.

Things You'll Need

 * Microwave oven
 * Waxed Paper
 * Mixing Container
 * Cutting board (optional)
 * Dinner plate (optional)

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make Gummy Bears
 * How to Make Jawbreakers
 * How to Make Old Fashioned Hard Candy
 * How to Make Candy Sushi