These Homemade Strawberry Apple Puffs for Babies and Toddlers are light and airy with naturally sweet strawberry and apple flavour and an added boost from iron-fortified oat cereal. They’re slowly baked until dry and make a fun, no-mess little finger food for babies and toddlers!
Save this recipe!
Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll receive new recipes and feeding tips from me each week!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no extra cost to you. I am only an affiliate to brands and products that I use myself and truly believe in and align with. You can read more here on my Disclosures, Disclaimer and Privacy Page.
If your little one loves the store-bought baby puffs, these homemade baby puffs are a fun version to try!
I’ve been playing around with different ways to make that light, airy, melt-in-your-mouth texture at home, and whipped egg whites work so well for it. As parents, we all know portable, no-mess snacks can be a lifesaver. If you love other fun portable snacks like these, be sure to check out my Homemade Blueberry Yogurt Melts and my Strawberry Banana Yogurt Melts!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love These Homemade Baby Puffs
- Made with just six simple ingredients
- Naturally sweetened with strawberries and unsweetened applesauce
- Uses whipped egg-whites to create a light, airy, puff texture
- Made with iron-fortified oat cereal for an easy little iron boost
- Light, airy and easy to break apart
- A fun homemade snack for babies and toddlers!
Ingredients for Homemade Strawberry Apple Puffs
You only need six ingredients to make these strawberry apple puffs.
- Egg whites: These are what give the puffs their light and airy texture. Whipping them to stiff peaks is key.
- Lemon juice: Helps stabilize the whipped egg whites and adds a tiny bit of brightness to the strawberry flavour.
- Strawberries: Fresh or frozen both work. They get cooked down with the applesauce until the mixture is nice and thick so you get the flavour without adding too much moisture.
- Unsweetened applesauce: Adds natural sweetness and apple flavour. Because applesauce contains quite a bit of water, it needs to be reduced with the strawberries before adding it to the egg whites.
- Iron-fortified oat cereal: I love using fortified infant oat cereal here for a little extra iron. Iron needs are especially important during the early years, so iron-fortified cereal can be an easy option to include alongside other iron-rich foods.
- Cornstarch: Helps give the puffs a little more structure.
See recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Homemade Strawberry Apple Puffs
Here is an overview of how to make this recipe, or feel free to scroll down to the recipe card for full details.
Preheat the oven to 200°F (93°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the strawberries and applesauce to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries soften and start releasing their juices. Puree the mixture with a hand blender or immersion blender until the strawberries and apples are blended together.
Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the fruit is very soft and the mixture has thickened and reduced to approximately 2 tablespoons, about 5-7 minutes.
Once it is reduced, remove from heat and let it cool completely.
Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks, making sure no yolk gets into the whites (very important!). Place the two egg whites in a clean, completely dry metal or glass mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice. Using an electric hand mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (about 4-5 minutes).
When you lift the beaters, the peaks should stand upright without folding over.
Stir the oat cereal and corn starch together in a small bowl.
Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the whipped egg whites, then add the cooled strawberry-apple puree. Using a spatula, gently fold everything together just until combined, being careful to preserve as much of the air in the egg whites as possible.
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a zip-top bag. Cut a small opening from one corner and pipe small dollops, sticks, or other shapes onto the prepared baking sheet. I love making small strips to hold on to, or making letters and spelling out my daughters' names!
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes at 200°F (93°C), or until the puffs feel dry and lift easily from the parchment paper. Larger or thicker puffs may need a little longer. If they still feel soft or sticky, continue baking in 10-minute increments.
Once they have cooked, turn the oven off and leave them inside for another 30 to 60 minutes to cool and dry out slowly. This helps them stay a little drier once they come out of the oven.
Top Tips: There are a few very important tips for getting the best results with this recipe:
- Really cook the fruit down. The strawberry-applesauce mixture should be thick and reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
- Let the fruit cool completely. Warm fruit can deflate the egg whites.
- Use a metal or glass bowl. Egg whites whip much better when the bowl is completely clean and free of grease.
- Whip to stiff peaks. If the egg whites are still soft, the puffs won’t hold their shape as well.
- Fold gently with a spatula. Once all that air is whipped into the egg whites, we want to keep it there! Use a spatula!
- Give them extra drying time if needed. Every batch can hold a slightly different amount of moisture, so don’t be afraid to bake them a little longer if they still feel soft and let them cool in the turned off oven.
Substitutions
- Fresh or frozen strawberries: Either works as you will be reducing them. Frozen strawberries may just take a little longer to cook down.
- Iron-fortified oat cereal: This is what I tested the recipe with. Other infant cereals may work, but the texture can vary depending on the grain and brand.
- Cornstarch: I recommend sticking with cornstarch for this recipe since that’s what I tested.
More Homemade Baby Puff Recipes
- I also have a Homemade Blueberry Yogurt Melt version and Strawberry Banana Yogurt Melt version you can check out!
Want more homemade copycat snack favourites? Check out my post here on Homemade Snacks for Kids - Copycat Favourites Made at Home!
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer: Very helpful for whisking the egg whites into stiff peaks. I suppose you could whisk them by hand, but just know that will take longer!
- Immersion blender or a small blender: Helpful in this recipe for blending the reduced strawberries and applesauce into a smooth puree.
- Zip-top bag or piping bag to pipe out the puffs
- Metal or glass bowl
- Small saucepan
- Baking sheet and parchment paper
Storage
Let the puffs cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container.
Because the moisture level can vary from batch to batch, I recommend storing them in the fridge and enjoying them within 3 to 4 days.
They may soften a little in the fridge. If they do, you can pop them back into a 200°F (95°C) oven for 5-10 minutes to dry them out again.
You can also freeze the puffs!
Toddler Tip
These are meant to be light and easy to break apart, but homemade batches can vary a little depending on how much the fruit was reduced, how well the egg whites were whipped and how long they baked.
Before serving, give one a quick squeeze between your fingers and test one yourself. It should break apart easily and soften quickly rather than feeling hard, chewy, or gummy.
For babies, offer these once your little one has started solids and is developmentally ready for finger foods. As always, have your child seated upright and supervised while eating.
FAQ
Yes, these can be a fun finger food for babies who have started solids and are ready for finger foods. They have no added sugar as they are sweetened naturally with the strawberry and apple.
Before serving, test the texture to make sure the puff breaks apart easily and softens quickly and are a consistency you are comfortable giving your child.
This recipe contains egg, which is a common allergen, so keep that in mind when introducing these.
Not exactly, but they are inspired by them! Store-bought baby puffs are made using specialized equipment that gives them that very light, crunchy texture. These homemade puffs use whipped egg whites to create a light, airy texture, so they’re a little softer and more delicate.
The culprit is likely that they still contain some natural moisture.
Make sure they feel dry before removing them from the oven, and try letting them sit in the turned-off oven for another 30 to 60 minutes to dry out a little more slowly.
Yes! Please don't skip this step! Reducing the strawberries and applesauce removes excess moisture and concentrates the flavour and colour. Adding too much liquid can make the mixture too soft and prevent the puffs from holding their shape.
Yes. Transfer the mixture to a zip-top bag and snip a small opening from one corner. Keep the opening fairly small so the puffs are easy to pipe and remain small dollop-sized.
Yes! I use smooth, unsweetened applesauce.
There isn’t one exact age that works for every baby. These can be offered once your baby has started solids, is developmentally ready for finger foods and can safely manage the texture. Before serving, always test one yourself to make sure it breaks apart easily and softens quickly. Have your baby seated upright and supervised while eating.
Recipe
Homemade Strawberry Apple Puffs for Babies and Toddlers
Equipment
- 1 Electric hand mixer
- 1 Metal or glass bowl
- 1 Immersion blender or small blender
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Zip-top bag or piping bag
- 1 baking sheet
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup strawberries fresh or frozen
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon iron-fortified oat cereal
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the strawberries and applesauce to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the strawberries soften and begin to release their juices.
- Blend the strawberry-applesauce mixture until smooth using an immersion blender or carefully transfer it to a small blender.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until very thick and reduced to approximately 2 tablespoons. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Add the egg whites and lemon juice to a clean, completely dry metal or glass bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
- In a small bowl, mix together the iron-fortified oat cereal and corn starch. Sprinkle the iron-fortified oat cereal and cornstarch evenly over the whipped egg whites.
- Add the cooled strawberry-applesauce mixture and gently fold everything together with a spatula. Use a light scooping and folding motion rather than stirring, and stop as soon as everything is evenly combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or zip-top bag and pipe small, evenly sized puffs onto the prepared baking sheet. You can also pipe into short strips or letters!
- Bake for approximately 60 minutes, or until the puffs feel dry and lift easily from the parchment paper. If they still feel soft or sticky, continue baking in 5- to 10-minute increments.
- Turn the oven off and leave the puffs inside for another 30 to 60 minutes to continue drying as the oven cools. This helps to dry them out a bit more and keep them crisp, rather than getting soft once they are at room temperature.
Notes
Save this recipe!
Enter your email and I'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll receive new recipes and feeding tips from me each week!
Leave a Reply