Watch it wiggle… see it jiggle… It’s full-on summertime here in Philippines, and any kind of dessert we can make without turning on the oven is likely to be a BIG WINNER.
Sara went to a birthday party the other day and came home asking if we could make Jello sometime, because they’d had it at the party and it was “soooo good!!!” I don’t need to tell you I’m not a big fan of Jello, what with the ingredients being just sugar, artificial colours, and artificial flavours. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever made “real” Jello at my house. EVER. But I did always love the unique texture of it when it was made into blocks using extra gelatine.
But there’s still the problem of all the sugar and artificial nonsense. So we decided to experiment to see if we could make some fruity blocks with just gelatine, fruit, and fruit juice. We did! Now, just to let you know, these are definitely NOT vegan due to the gelatine. But not everything has to be vegan to be healthy, right?? These wiggly little blocks are made with only fruit (or veg!), coconut water, and fruit juice, with a little stevia (an herbal sweetener) to sweeten them. You could also use honey if you like.
We’ve made two flavours so far, but I think the sky is the limit as long as you follow the basic ratio of 2 envelopes of unflavoured gelatine to 1 3/4- 2 cups of liquid. Then you can add any fruit or veggie you like. We made blueberry acai (the dark purple one) and beetroot mixed berry acai (the bright red one.) I pureed the fruit or veg with the coconut water, heated it until just hot, then added it to the cold water sprinkled with gelatine. Stir, refrigerate, and cut.
Voila! There you go, a pan full of fruity goodness for your weekend enjoyment. Without ever turning on the oven. Happy Friday, folks… stay cool!
Notes
The total time includes chilling time, but the prep time is super short.
Ingredients
For the blueberry acai gelatine blocks:
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup frozen blueberries (not thawed)
- ¾ cup buko juice (young coconut water)
- 1 T. acai powder
- ½ tsp liquid stevia (or 2 T. honey)
For the beetroot mixed berry acai gelatine blocks:
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup water
- 4 oz fresh beetroot, peeled & chopped
- ½ cup buko juice (young coconut water)
- ¼ cup acai/mixed berry juice
- 1 tsp acai powder
- ½ tsp liquid stevia (or 2 T. honey)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a minute or 2.
- Meanwhile, for either flavour, add the beetroot or blueberries, buko juice, acai/mixed berry juice (if using), acai powder, and stevia (or honey) to a blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan and heat until warm to the touch.
- Pour over the gelatin mixture, and stir until completely dissolved. Pour into a square serving dish and chill for about 4-6 hours or until set.
- Cut into 16-24 blocks, depending on the size you want, and serve.