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How to Make Amber Fossils

Though some call it a gemstone, amber is actually tree sap that's hardened over many years. Red and honey yellow are the most common colors, but amber also comes in green. Artificial amber usually features glittering inner facets while true amber is translucent, sometimes featuring insects caught and preserved in the sap. You can create edible versions of these beautiful fossils at home.

Things You'll Need

Water
Saucepan
Yellow jello: banana or lemon
Wooden spoon
Red food coloring
Gemstone candy molds
Gummy bugs
Sugar
Yellow food coloring
Extract flavoring
Cookie sheet
Wax paper

Instructions

Jello Amber
- 1
  Bring about 1.25 cups of water to boil in a saucepan. Add one pouch of banana or lemon jello and stir until the powder dissolves.
- 2
  Add a few drops of red food coloring and stir. The jello should be a dark honey color.
- 3
  Pour the jello into gemstone shaped candy molds. Find these molds at your local craft store. You may also use plain dome molds.
- 4
  Chill the jello for about half the recommended time. Gently push tiny gummy insects into the jello.
- 5
  Allow the jello to chill overnight to create solid "amber" pieces.
Amber Brittle
- 6
  Combine equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. The water should dissolve the sugar and create a thick, syrupy mixture.
- 7
  Drip about 12 drops of yellow food coloring into the sugar mix. Add about 5 to 6 drops of red food coloring to that. The goal is to get a dark yellow or rich orange color.
- 8
  Add a few drops of the extract flavoring of your choice. Orange, root beer and lemon are all appropriate.
- 9
  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Pour the hot sugar mixture over the wax paper and push gummy insects into the resulting sugar sheet.
- 10
  Allow the sugar to cool overnight. Lift the wax paper up from the sheet and crack and crumble the sugar mix into shards containing the gummy bugs.

Rocks & Minerals