DIY Healthy Paleo Gummies & Treats By Green Queen Mom Jordi Sheard

We are bursting with excitement for this post! We discovered local mum and teacher Jordi Sheard’s kefir gummies on Facebook and we knew we had to ask her to share her skills with our Green Queen readers. All kids love candy but the stuff in the stores is mostly rubbish- even the so-called natural versions. They are always packed with some preservative or other. Below are three easy to follow sweet treats for the little ones. On top of being fun and satisfying their sweet tooth, they all include a superfood like kefir, coconut milk or almond butter so they are extremely nutritious too. Enjoy!

A note on measurements: many of us may not realize but a tablespoon isn’t the same all over the world! Australian tablespoons are 20ml while the US version is 15ml. Same goes for cups. The Australian cup is 250ml (1/4 of a liter) versus the US cup at 240ml. All the recipes below include the measurement in grams and/or ml in order to be as precise as possible.

Apple Pineapple and Water Kefir Gummies

Makes 30-40 gummies (depending on your shape mould)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250ml) of fruit puree (recipe below)
• 2 tbsp* (40ml) gelatin
• 3 tbsp* (60ml) honey * or to taste
• 1 cup (250ml) water kefir

* Different honeys have different sweetness levels, as do different fruits. I always add the honey to taste. It needs to be slightly sweeter than you would like as it becomes less sweet once the gummies have set.

Directions

1. Heat the puree in a saucepan on a medium heat.
2. Sprinkle the gelatin slowly over the hot fruit while whisking to avoid gelatin lumps. Avoid letting the mixture get too hot,  too otherwise the probiotic properties in the kefir will be destroyed/denatured.
3. Once the gelatin has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool to lukewarm. Note: at room temperature the gelatin will start to set.
4. Add the kefir to the cooled fruit mixture.
5. Once the kefir is added, add the honey to taste (see note above).
6. Pour into silicon moulds. I’ve found it easiest to transfer to a jug and carefully fill the moulds as they are quite small) and refrigerate to set for approximately 2 hours.

Fruit Puree

Ingredients

• 3 Granny Smith apples
• ½ medium to large pineapple
• filtered water

Directions

1. Peel, core and cut the fruit into 1-inch square pieces.
2. Cook on the stove top with 1 tbsp filtered water until just soft.
3. Puree with an immersion/stick blender.
4. Any excess puree can be frozen to be used next time. This never happens in my house as my kids just eat it on its own!

Chocolate Mint Gummies

Makes 30-40 gummies

Ingredients

• 1 can full fat coconut milk (approx. 400ml)
• 4 tbsp (80ml) cocoa powder
• 2.5 tbsp (50ml) gelatin
• 3 tbsp (60ml) honey * or to taste
• 1 tsp (5ml) peppermint essence (you can use 1-2 drops peppermint essential oil)

* Different honeys have different sweetness levels, as do different fruits. I always add the honey to taste. It needs to be slightly sweeter than you would like as it becomes less sweet once the gummies have set.

Directions

1. Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan on a medium heat.
2. Whisk in the cocoa.
3. Sprinkle the gelatin slowly over the hot milk while whisking to avoid gelatin lumps.
4. Once the gelatin has dissolved, remove from the heat and add the peppermint and the honey.
5. Transfer to a jug and pour into silicon moulds.
6. Refrigerate to set for approximately 2 hours.

These are able to be frozen; when you need them, just thaw at room temperature.

Paleo “Caramel” Tarts

Makes 10 mini tarts

Base

Ingredients

• 1 cup (250ml) desiccated coconut
• Approximately 5 medjool dates

Directions

1. Process until it becomes a sticky crumb like mixture.
2. Add a small spoonful of the mixture into a silicon mini muffin tray.
3. Press down with your fingers to make the base and sides for each tart, leaving room for the filling.

Filling

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (20ml) tahini
• 1 tbsp (20ml) almond butter
• 1 tbsp (20ml) honey or to taste 

Directions

1. Mix well with a fork to make the ‘caramel’.
2. Heat slightly (water bath or microwave) to make the texture softer and more liquid- it’s easier to fill the tart cases that way.
3. Use a teaspoon and be careful not to overfill the tarts.

Topping

Ingredients

• 60g virgin coconut oil
• 1 tbsp (20ml) honey or to taste
• 2 tbsp (40ml) cocoa powder

Directions

1. Mix with an immersion/stick blender. This can be done with a fork but it is quicker and easier to get the correct consistency using a blender.
2. Carefully cover each tart with the chocolate mixture.

Refrigerate or freeze to set.

Enjoy!

All images courtesy of Jordi Sheard.