Ditch the box, and make homemade jello style gelatin at home. So easy, with only a few ingredients—and it’s actually good for you.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
2 cups (16 fluid ounces) fruit juice or combination fruit puree and juice*
1 tablespoon (8 g) unflavored powdered gelatin**
2- 3 tablespoons (42 to 63 g) honey (can replace with 3 to 5 tablespoons (38 g to 63 g) granulated sugar), to taste
*I have tested this recipe with different combinations of fruit juice and pureed fruit, and have found that, if you use more than 50% fruit puree, the gelatin will not set properly. For this recipe I used 1 cup of watered down organic orange juice and everything set perfectly fine (1/2 c juice, 1/2 c juice)
**I use Great Lakes brand unflavored grass-fed gelatin because, it's grass fed and I can buy it in large quantities for a good price. I try to sneak as much of it into my child’s diet as possible because of its health benefits. But, of course, any unflavored organic powdered gelatin will work just fine.
Instructions
To make a fruit puree for use in this recipe, soften the fruit by placing it in a heavy-bottom saucepan and adding just enough water to cover it. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, and cook until the fruit can be easily smashed by pressing it against the side of the pan. For berries, this should only take a couple minutes after boiling. For more fibrous fruits like apples, peel, core and roughly chop the apples before cooking. It will take longer for the fruit to be tender enough. Once the fruit is ready, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool for a few minutes before transferring the entire contents of the pan to a blender and puree until smooth. Pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids or seeds. Use only 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of fruit puree per recipe.
Some notes about fruit juices:
I prefer to use only 100% juice so I can control the amount of added sugar.
Apple juice is a nice, relatively neutral juice to add to berry purees. When I made the blueberry JELLO you see above, I used 1 cup of apple juice along with the 1 cup of fruit puree.
Pineapple juice makes for a surprisingly lovely gelatin flavor.
You can actually use water in place of juice for an unflavored gelatin, but you’ll need to add considerably more sugar to make the JELLO palatable.
2. In a small bowl, place about 1/4 cup of the fruit juice and sprinkle with the powdered gelatin. Mix thoroughly and allow to sit until the gelatin swells in the liquid. Place the remaining 3/4 cup fruit juice, plus any fruit puree (or more juice) to make 2 full cups in a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the swelled gelatin and honey (or sugar) to the hot saucepan and mix until the gelatin and honey/sugar dissolve.
3. Divide the mixture immediately among the serving dishes, and allow to cool to room temperature. Cover the dishes and place in the refrigerator to chill until set (about 3 hours). If you’re feeling particularly generous, serve with whipped cream.
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