Kids bake: Healthy homemade fruit leather and fruit snacks

First thing this morning we decided to take on the adventure of making our own healthy snacks that had no added sugar and were completely all natural. First we created fruit snacks

Ingredients:
Gummy Fruit Snacks 1 cup mixed berries 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup applesauce 1/2 cup fruit juice (apple, cranberry, blueberry, whatever) 2 envelopes gelatin (1 envelope = 2 1/2 tsp)

Steps:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries and water. Bring to a boil and cook until berries are soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree berries until smooth. Return to pot. Add applesauce and return to a boil, then remove from heat, cover and set aside.
In a large bowl, sprinkle gelatin over fruit juice and let stand one minute. Add hot fruit mixture and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes.

 Pour into 8 x 8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish (or into molds, if you want to go that route). Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Cut into blocks or shapes.





Boys using food processor to puree fruit

Gelatin

 

 

These were SUPER easy to make. They taste fantastic. However they are a lot more like a jello jiggler then a fruit snack. So I put one of them in the oven for a few hours to see if it dried out at all on the low setting of 200. I liked the consistency better however, I don't think it made enough of a difference to make it a long project instead of quick. Kids loved them both ways and REALLY loved helping me make these super healthy sugar free snacks!!!

 

Next we made fruit leather. I can make this really simple. When this project was FINALLY completed I called my sister and asked her if I could borrow her food processor. This is an all day project. BUT they are very tasty and closely resemble the product you can buy in the store. We made two batches. Mixed berry, and Strawberry. Kids love them. They will not last long.

 

 



Ingredients:

3-4 cups frozen fruit

lemon

honey

 

1. Combine all ingredients from recipe
2. If your ingredients are frozen, heat in a pan until well combined
3. Add thick liquid to food process. Blend until smooth
4. Line a pan with parchment or plastic wrap. Pour liquid on pan and spread evenly.
5. Bake in oven at 140-170 degrees for 6-8 hours
6. Let cool. Keep it in an airtight container, and enjoy within the week.

 

 

YUM

 

Cleaning up after a lot of hard work

 

Would I make these again. Yes. I will....just as soon as I have a dehydrator instead of the oven. Two thumbs up for taste though.