Healthy gummies and doughnut bites your kids will love

Cutting down on sugar? Good on you! Ensuring that your child doesn’t eat sweet treats every day is a good step in creating healthy eating habits. Sometimes, however, your child deserves something yummy (but junk-free). The kids won’t even know that these gummies and doughnut bites aren’t packed with sugar.

Home-made gummies

These gluten-free, fat-free, and refined sugar-free gummies are not only tasty, but they’re also good for you! Even better, your kids can help you make them. Here’s how:

*Makes about 40

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp granulated gelatine
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 cup 100% fruit juice of your choice
• 3 tbsp honey or xylitol

Method

1. Combine the gelatine and water and set aside to bloom for five minutes.
2. Heat the juice in the microwave for about two minutes until hot, but not boiling. Stir in the gelatine mixture and honey or xylitol until dissolved. Cool to room temperature.
3. Lightly grease 40 x 10ml silicone chocolate moulds with cooking spray and place on baking trays, then spoon in the mixture.  Refrigerate for about one hour until firm. Press out and enjoy!

Handy tips

• Silicone chocolate moulds are available from baking stores and leading retailers.
• If you don’t have chocolate moulds, line a baking dish with baking paper and grease with cooking spray.
• Pour in the mixture and cut into squares once cooled.
• We used orange, cherry, and red grape juices. For brighter colours, add a drop of food colouring. Clear apple or white grape juice can also be coloured with food colouring.

Home-made doughnut bites

These doughnut bites are perfect for little hands to roll and taste delicious!

*Makes about 24

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

• ½ cup wholewheat flour
• 2 tbsp xylitol
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Pinch bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg white
• ½ tbsp apple sauce
• 1/3 cup low-fat milk

For the glaze

• 2 tbsp low-fat milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup xylitol powder
• Food colouring of your choice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease a mini doughnut pan (with 4.5cm holes) using cooking spray. Combine the flour, xylitol, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl.
2. Beat together the remaining ingredients. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and spoon 5ml of batter into each prepared hole, and spread.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes, until just cooked – a toothpick inserted into one of the doughnuts should come out clean. Cool for five minutes in the pan. Turn out by twisting each to loosen. Wipe the pan clean and grease again. Repeat with the rest.
4. For the glaze, combine the milk, vanilla, and xylitol until smooth. Divide into two or three bowls and colour each with a few drops of food colouring of your choice. Working with one cooled doughnut at a time, dip the tops into the glaze, shaking off excess. Set aside on a cooling rack while you continue with the rest.

Top tips

• Xylitol powder is available from Woolworths and select health stores. You can also make your own by blitzing xylitol in a spice blender until powdery.
• If the glaze is too thick to dip, add a few drops more milk. If it’s too thin to coat, add extra xylitol powder.