Whether you have children or you are the one with the sweet tooth, jelly is a delicious summer treat. Not only will you get to enjoy something sweet, but it is also significantly lower in calories and fat compared to ice cream and other desserts. Here’s a really easy recipe for jelly treats that everyone can enjoy.

You will need:

  • 1 ½ cups of fresh fruit or vegetable juice (or a blend of both)
  • 4 Tbsp of gelatine (plain)
  • 2 – 4 Tbsp of honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
  • ½ tsp of vanilla essence
  • Up to 1 Tbsp of nutritional additives (like protein powder, vitamin c powder, probiotics etc)

Directions:

  • Pour your juice into a pot and sprinkle your gelatine over the top.
  • Let the gelatine rest for about 10 minutes. This allows it to soften.
  • Once softened, slowly heat up the gelatine mixture on the stove but take care not to let it boil. If gelatine boils, it will no longer set.
  • While heating the gelatine, make sure that you stir constantly using a whisk until you see that the mixture is clear and there are no chunks or ‘bits’ floating around.
  • Remove from the stove and add your honey along with the rest of the ingredients.
  • If you plan on adding a probiotic to these jelly treats, you will need to allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. If the mixture is too warm, it will render the probiotics ineffective.
  • After mixing well, pour into a pan or moulds as desired.
  • Refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours or until set.
  • If using a pan or tray, you will need to remove it from this tray before cutting it into little squares.
  • You will need to keep these jelly treats in the fridge or they will melt. They will keep for up to 3 weeks depending on the juice that you use. Fresh fruit juice will spoil faster since it does not contain preservatives.

While natural fruit juice does not have a long shelf life, it is still best to use fresh products if you want a nutritional sweet treat. Jelly treats that are made from freshly squeezed juice will have an even better flavour too.