We can’t believe it’s October already! Halloween is around the corner and that means A LOT of unhealthy snacks. But…we’ve got a recipe up our sleeve that will fulfil your kid’s sweet tooth like no other.
Our Watermelon Fruit Roll-Ups are an easy homemade snack. The first five ingredients in most popular store-bought fruit roll-ups are corn syrup, dried corn syrup, sugar, pear puree concentrate and palm oil. In our case, we’ve ditched all the nasties and replaced it only with real fruit, coconut oil, and honey.
Why avoid corn syrup and palm oil?
- Corn syrup is even more harmful than ordinary table sugar because of its high fructose content.
- Palm oil is also a highly processed oil and is unhealthy for both us and the environment.
What about coconut oil? Is it good for you?
Coconut oil is often classified as a “superfood” because of its many benefits including:
- Coconut oil is high in healthy saturated fats. These fats can boost fat burning and provide your body and brain with quick energy.
- Coconut oil contains natural saturated fats that increase the good HDL cholesterol in your body.
- Good for blood sugar and diabetes.
- Aids in liver health.
So with just 4 simple ingredients, you’ll have the perfect healthy treat for your Halloween festivities! Happy trick or treating.
45 minutes prep + Up to 8 hours in the oven
INGREDIENTS
– 12 cups cubed and de-seeded watermelon
– juice of 1 lime
– 1 ½ tbsp honey
– 1 tsp coconut oil
METHOD
1. Preheat oven on the lowest temperature your oven will go with the fan setting on.
2. Chop and de-seed 12 cups worth of watermelon.
3. Blend watermelon until pureed.
4. Place a cheesecloth over a sieve and slowly pour the watermelon puree through both. You may have to stop halfway to stir gently with a spatula.
5. Keep stirring the watermelon puree until most of the water is drained and you’re left with a viscous watermelon mixture.
6. Line a sheet tray with baking paper and grease lightly with coconut oil.
7. Pour the watermelon mixture onto the sheet tray and spread with a spatula until it’s evenly spread and about 5mm thick.
8. Place in the oven and bake for up to 8 hours or until it’s dried and easy to peel off the baking paper.
9. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter or scissors and then roll up with a strip of baking paper.
Extra Tips
This recipe is fairly easy to make as it only involves blending, straining and then a long wait while it’s in the oven! However, de-seeding the watermelon takes some time so using fruit like strawberry or raspberry might be quicker. You can even put berries straight in the blender without worrying about the seeds.
Another thing to note is that if you have a dehydrator at home, it’s better to use that so your oven is not on for so long. It’s also safer to just leave on and go out for the day – the process is so slow and there’s little concern for overcooking. An hour either side won’t make much difference!