Homemade Elderberry Cough Drops are immune boosting, all-natural little gems made with just 3 ingredients and in less than 20 minutes! Try this healthy alternative to traditional over the counter cough drops.
How to soothe a sore throat with homemade cough drops
It’s been a little rough over here. I’ve been sick for the last 2 weeks and that’s not ideal when your job is food related. The last thing I wanted to do was cook or eat anything. Just when it looked like all hope was lost, I got a big ol’ package in the mail of some all-natural, immune boosting, elderberry products.
All credit for this reversal of fortune goes to fellow food blogger and friend, Katie at A Fork’s Tale. She has heard my endless support of local farms, the farm-to-table movement and a holistic approach to wellness and was nice enough to refer me to a farm local to her in North Carolina named Norm’s Farms.
Norm’s Farms is a family-owned sustainable farm in Pittsboro, North Carolina, growing elderberry plants through a bio-dynamic or holistic method of farming. Elderberry are tiny berries with major antioxidant power and have been used for centuries as a natural remedy to a wide variety of aliments. They can even be used to treat skin wounds!
After busting open this big box that Norm’s Farms sent me, I immediately started taking the Elderberry Wellness Syrup. You can take this stuff straight, as-is, and it tastes fantastic! It’s sweet with a slight cinnamon/clove flavor and it totally soothed my sore throat. From there I decided to make some homemade cough drops with the Elderberry Extract.
It’s the same base as my recipe for Honey Lemon Ginger Cough Drops and found the elderberry melds perfectly with the fresh ginger. Feel free to use candy molds to make the cough drops or use a silicone baking mat
Norm’s Farms takes great care (and love) in packaging up each shipment. I was extremely happy to find out they use all recycled/recyclable materials and biodegradable packing peanuts too! YAY! Plus, they put these wonderful recipe cards in each shipment. I’m probably going to make those shortbread bars this weekend.
I always use raw local honey in my recipes. It’s really the only type of honey I have in the pantry. When it comes to honey you have to be careful and do your research as lots of store bought varieties have been ultra filtered which removes all of the pollen (which means it’s not honey anymore) and they may even contain other types of less expensive sugars (glucose, dextrose, corn syrup, etc). Basically it’s best to know and trust your source when buying honey and try to buy local.
Honesty, I’m quite impressed with Norm’s Farms products, not only for their health benefits, but also for the taste. An elderberry kind of tastes like a cross between a blueberry and a cranberry and I’m so excited to use some of their other products in recipes soon, like the Elderberry Ginger Pecan Jam. YUM!!
So if you find yourself down and out with a cold and need some relief from a sore throat and cough, try making these Homemade Elderberry Cough Drops!
- 1/2 cup local raw honey
- 2 tablespoons Norm's Farm Elderberry Extract
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
-
Mix honey, elderberry extract, and fresh ginger together in a medium sized, deep saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium-low heat, stirring often to prevent burning. Mixture will foam up the sides of pan, so take pan off heat briefly to allow foam to subside, then place pan back on heat to continue cooking. May have to turn heat down to low to prevent honey from burning.
-
Use candy thermometer and heat mixture to 300-310F degrees, until it reaches the hard crack stage (if no thermometer, test the mixture by dropping some of it in a cold bowl of water and if it harden, it's ready). Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple for minutes until thickens slightly.
-
Pour mixture into small candy molds or drop by teaspoons onto parchment paper or a silicon mat. Allow to cool until drops are hard and firm.
-
Once drops are fully cooled, dust with powdered sugar, cornstarch, or arrowroot powder to prevent drops from sticking together. Store in a covered container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
I am sorry to hear you have been ill! I hope you are on the mend. This post is brilliant! I would never even think to make my own cough drops but seriously what a good idea. And that way you can bypass some of the nasties they sometimes slip into medicated cough drops and keep it natural. Thanks for sharing x
These drops look amazing, they remind me of those beautiful gemstones; and I am sure my daughters would love them. You did a great job here, Karrie, as always ❤❤
Got a drop for my tummy virus? Lol…
I saw you in reflection of jar, so neat. I have a thing for reflection photos. So thanks!
So crappy that you weren’t well, but seems like you are getting back to yourself now….and just in time for the weekend Yay! I’ve never had elderberry before, but if it’s a cross between blueberry and cranberry, I’m in! I don’t usually buy those store bought cough drops ’cause I don’t really like ’em, but these I could totally go for. 3 ingredients? And knowing exactly what’s in ’em? Sounds perfect to me! Love the touch of fresh ginger. And gonna have to check out Norm’s Farms. Pinning these. Bet these are awesome cold or no cold. XOXO
Being sick sucks, but how cool is this recipe! Never even considered making my own.
Eeeeks! I know you have been sick a lot this winter and I’m still sending you all the healthy, feel good vibes, K! Obviously I’m going to HAVE to look up that farm as soon as I’m done commenting here, because YAY NC! Love that you made your own cough drops with their elderberry extract! You little genius you! I have terrible sinus problems (just had a nose bleed this morning), but I had no clue honey helped! Where has that little nugget of truth been my whole life!? Thanks for the 411 girl! Cheers! xo
Those are gorgeous little gems!
Sorry to hear you’re not feeling well, Karrie! Hope now you’re getting better! Especially after taking these wonderful cough drops. What a brilliant idea! I would have never thought of making my own cough drops, but now I see it is so much better! Thank you for the inspiration. Get well soon!!
Elderberry drops? That’s awesome, Karrie! But honestly, when I first saw the recipe, I read the name as Elderberry Donuts haha. Perhaps, I’m craving for some. But I think it’s another good idea how to use this extract. And yes, please make these shortbreads cause it sounds fabulous!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these cough drops! I need some right now. What a brilliant idea! I am making a batch to get rid of these nagging allergies and scratchy throat.
I wish I had some of these a few weeks ago when I was so sick – and I totally wish you could send me some now for Chris’s hacking cough! I really need to check out that farm!
Hope you are feeling much better now. Good for you to make your own cough drops…natural is the way to go.
I hope you are feeling better! I’ve never made my own cough drops before, but I love the idea! I think it might be best to make these before I get sick though….I never want to make anything once I am down with the crud!
So sorry you’ve been under the weather! Our entire family got hit with ‘it’ this week, too! These look amazing and just what the doctor ordered!
Oh no, I hope you’re feeling better, Karrie! These Elderberry products sound fantastic! I’ve never made homemade cough drops before, but I’m completely inspired (plus these ones sound delicious) Can’t wait to check out the Elderberry Ginger Pecan Jam! XO
The homemade cough drops are an amazing remedy and much healthier alternative to the over-the-counter medicines. Very Useful post, Karrie!
Hi! These look wonderful!! Are they ok to use for children?
Hi Kourtney! Thanks and I would think they would be safe for children, as long as there are no allergies to any of the ingredients.
Is it possible they don’t harden at all? If so what could of gone wrong?
Yes Taylor, it is possible for the drops to not harden correctly if the sugar hasn’t been heated to the hard crack stage. Cooking sugar to 300F degrees will evaporate all the water and make the sugar harden properly. Were you able to use a candy thermometer and did the mixture reach 300? If no thermometer, then you can test the stage of the mixture by dropping some of it into a bowl of cold water and, if it hardens, it’s ready. Hope this information helps!