Someone posted this recipe at LCF the other day and I had to give it a try. It makes a fun to eat treat!



SOOBEE'S FRUITLESS FRUIT LEATHER
1/2 cup cool tap water
3/4 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 packet unsweetened Kool-Aid mix, any flavor
5 packets unflavored gelatin

In an 8x8" glass baking dish, mix the water, Splenda and Kool-Aid powder well. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water then stir in. It will be a bit lumpy and not completely blended. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute; stir well. Microwave another minute; stir well. Microwave 30 seconds more and stir. Scrape out onto a 9x13" baking sheet that is lined with nonstick foil (you could also use a silicone baking sheet for this but a nonstick surface it very important). Cool at room temperature 30 minutes. Cut into strips and peel off the foil. Let dry overnight if possible.

I cut mine into 8 pieces going the length of the pan and 2 pieces across the short side to make 16 strips. After they have dried, you can roll them up like little fruit roll-ups and store them in the freezer or refrigerator.

Makes about 8 servings of 2 strips each

With granular Splenda:
Per Batch: 196 Calories; 0g Fat; 30g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 18g Net Carbs
Per Serving: 25 Calories; 0g Fat; 4g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Batch: 124 Calories; 0g Fat; 30g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; trace Net Carbs
Per Serving: 16 Calories; 0g Fat; 4g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; trace Net Carbs

This was quite quick and easy to throw together and it set up very quickly. I think that Soobee got the sweetener just right. It's sweet but still nice and tangy from the Kool-Aid. I used black cherry Kool-Aid. The texture reminds me of gummy bears and it's fun to eat.

Here's how mine looked on the baking sheet. My pan was a little warped so I ended up with some thicker spots. The goo will be very sticky but it only took some very hot tap water and a few minutes of soaking to get it off my baking dish and utensils.

Hey Soobee, I see that you're also a member here. Your fruit leather is great!

Thanks. I love it. It's made for the child in me, which I am afraid, often takes over completely.

I made a variation today but it needs some tweaking before I post it on my site. Instead of the Kool-Aid mix I used peppermint extract. I had to guess at how much extract and Splenda to use and I ended up using a little too much mint and not quite enough Splenda. It was a little bit bitter. I think that 1 teaspoon of mint and 1 cup worth of liquid Splenda might be about right. When you made the licorice flavor, how much Splenda did you use? I'm going to look for the anise flavoring next time I go to Wal-Mart. I'm also going to look for cinnamon flavoring to make some that tastes like those red hot candies. Oh, I made the peppermint "gummies" in a smaller pan and cut it into bite-size pieces but I need to use a slightly smaller container next time because they weren't quite as thick as I'd like. I've got just the right pan to try next time.

By the way, this stuff sets up even quicker if you chill it in the fridge. But then I didn't leave mine out to dry like you did. I can't do that here in Texas because there are critters down here that would have a feast on it when I turn my back, LOL.

For the licorice flavor, I used 3/4 cup sweetener and 2 teaspoons of anise flavoring. I guess peppermint is stronger.

Thanks, Soobee. I'm going to look for the anise extract later this week.

Soobee, I made some licorice candy the other day and it's very good. It came out very stiff though. Did you find that the licorice flavored stuff came out stiffer than the Kool-Aid kind? Mine was so tough that I could hardly chew it. I'm thinking about trying one less packet of gelatin in it next time.

I looked at Wal-Mart for anise extract and they were out of it. I'm glad that they were because I ended up getting Kroger's brand for at least a dollar less than McCormick's was at Wal-Mart. It's pure anise extract too, not artificially flavored.

I added a drop of red food coloring to mine because I thought it would look a little funky just clear. Here's a picture of my little "gummy" candies:

I always loved jellied candies. I can't wait to try them. Since I make mine thin, and I like them extra chewy, I never noticed. But the original recipe I was working off of started with 8 pakages of gelatin. I kept working my way down. You might even be able to go as low as 3 packs of gelatin, depending on the texture you are aiming for.

This afternoon I made a batch of the Kool-Aid gummies and used just three packets of gelatin. Would you believe that they came out almost as stiff as the ones with five packets??? I'm going to cut it down to two packets next time. They did take a bit longer to set up but once they did they were very stiff and chewy. I'm hoping to get something a little softer and it's looking like I may end up using just one packet of gelatin before I'm finished playing.

Hey - they make Grapefruit flavored crystal lite or walmarts brand does. Those pour in's. You'd have to adjust for the splenda. And they may be made with Equal - just not sure.

Yes, they're made with aspartame which is a bummer. The nice thing about Kool-Aid is that you can add your own sweetener. Now that I think about it, one of those Crystal Light tubs would be the equivalent of one packet of Kool-Aid (1/2 gallon when mixed with water). I don't think they'd need any additional sweetener because they're not tart.

Something just occurred to me. Maybe it wouldn't be a problem since you can make sugar free jello that has aspartame in it but I've heard that you can't cook with aspartame. I wonder if microwaving Crystal Light would cause the sweetener to do something nasty or even dangerous.

I heat Crystal Light lemonade for hot lemonade and I haven't noticed any bitterness from it.

Most of my older low-carb cookbooks use Equal for baking and cooking (i.e., the cheesecake in Fran McCullough's cookbook). Dr. Atkins spoke about mixing Equal with Sweet-n-Low to create a synergistic effect. I never did that, I just stuck with Equal (at least until Splenda and now Splenda liquid came on the market).

I made two more batches of the gummy version today. I made another batch of licorice flavor and put in just 2 packets of gelatin. It still came out just as stiff as with 5 packets. I made the other batch with 1 packet of gelatin and Watermelon Cherry Kool-Aid. That one isn't nearly as stiff but it's only been chilling for a little over an hour so far. If you like sour candy, you might like the watermelon cherry flavor. It made my mouth pucker. I'll post back later to let you know if it set up more.

It turns out that one packet of gelatin isn't enough to make them chewy. What you get is more like those Jello Jigglers. They're nice like that but not as much like candy. I think I'd like about 1 1/2 packets of gelatin but that would be too much bother trying to measure.