Hi, RetiredRN!
I think you could use water in place of the corn syrup- I used Amaretto in one batch (instead of corn syrup)
and they came out just fine.
They're fine in the refrigerator- I keep my CBD gummies in there- the THC gummies go in the freezer mainly to keep the grandkids out of them (in the freezer,under the succotash
)
edit: Yes you should substitute water for the CS- you have to have enough liquid to dissolve everything.
you could try it without, but they'll probably come out "grainy"