DIY Baby Puffs Recipe

You know those cute little melt-in-your-mouth cereal puffs you see in the store? The ones that help babies master their pincer grasp?

Though I’d rather give her whole foods to snack on, these have been an absolute life saver for us in the car. Instead of crying the entire time, she concentrates on enjoying her puffs while we’re driving.

These puffs are organic and full of good stuff like kale, sweet potatoes, beets, etc., but the packaging is wasteful and we’ve been going through a lot of them lately, so I wanted to try and make them at home.

I found a couple recipes online but one was extremely bland and the other called for a ton of sugar, so I came up with a variation of the two. After a few test runs, I’ve settled on this recipe. I made three batches today and i have to say…they’re pretty yummy. They taste mostly of coconut oil, so if you leave that out, or used refined coconut oil (which has no flavor), they will just taste like baby cereal.

Loving her puffs!

Homemade purees would be even healthier and better for the environment, but I got these pouches for $0.50 each because they were about to expire, so I wanted to use them up. This is a great way to sneak veggies into the puffs because the coconut oil and apple sauce give the puffs most of their flavor. So don’t be afraid to use whatever you have on hand!

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Disclaimer: If you like my recipe, click the links below and I’ll get a little dough. (When you click on the affiliate links below, I will receive an itty bitty commission from Amazon.com.)

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HOMEMADE BABY PUFFS RECIPE
(c=cup; t=teaspoon; T=tablespoon)

INGREDIENTS:

1 c happy bellies organic brown rice cereal with probiotics
1 T unrefined coconut oil
1/2 pouch of apple sauce (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
1/2 of veggie pouch (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
2 egg whites
1 t baking powder
2-4 T filtered water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a few baking sheets with parchment paper, and line a glass with a quart size ziplock bag.

1.) Melt coconut oil on low heat and pour in a small mixing bowl.
2.) Add 1/2 pouch of apple sauce, 1/2 pouch of veggies, and egg whites to the oil and mix.
3.) Add wet ingredients to rice cereal in a large mixing bowl and combine.
4.) Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 2-4 tablespoons of water and mix. (Amount of water needed may vary based on type of rice cereal used and the consistency of your vegetable puree. Add each tablespoon one at atime. If too watery, please add more rice cereal.)
5.) Put your mixture into the ziplock bag, twist the top to push the mixture down into one corner of the bag, cut off the tip, and pipe pea-sized dots onto parchment paper.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes (rotating pan half way so they cook evenly).
7.) Remove puffs from the oven and turn the oven down to 250 degrees.
8.) Bake again until crisped through (30-60 minutes).
9.) Let cool completely and store in an air tight container for 5-7 days.

*Cook time may vary. Cooling puffs completely before storing them will help prolong their crispiness.

Makes about 300 pea sized puffs.

FOR MY VISUAL LEARNERS:

Melt 1T unrefined coconut oil

Add to a mixing bowl

Add 1/2 pouch of apple sauce

And 1/2 pouch of vegetable puree

Add two egg whites and combine

Add wet ingredients to rice cereal

Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 4 tablespoons of filtered water and mix

Pipe into pea-sized dots on a parchment paper lined baking sheet

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes (turning halfway)

Turn oven down to 250 degrees.

Bake again for 30-60 minutes or until cripsy. Let cool completely, then store in an air tight container and enjoy!

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UPDATE MARCH 20, 2015:

In an effort to answer some of your questions, I baked four more batches yesterday using oatmeal cereal without coconut oil or applesauce. Here’s the recipe that worked best for me. (I will say, without the applesauce and the coconut oil, these puffs are very bland. However, they bake faster and have a more airy texture so that’s nice.)

MAKES ABOUT 175 PUFFS:
(c=cup; t=teaspoon; T=tablespoon)

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c happy bellies organic oatmeal cereal with probiotics
1/2 t baking powder
2 T filtered water
1/2 veggie pouch (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
2 egg whites, beaten until frothy

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper, and line a glass with a quart size ziplock bag.

1.) Combine oatmeal cereal and baking powder in a medium bowl.
2.) Add water and vegetable puree to dry ingredients and combine.
3.) Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy (60 seconds).
4.) Gently mix in egg whites until combined.
5.) Scoop batter into a piping bag, and pipe pea sized dots onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
6.) Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes until crispy. (Rotate baking sheet halfway through so they bake evenly.)
7.) Cool completely and store in an air tight container for 7-10 days.

*Cook time may vary. Cooling puffs completely before storing them will help prolong their crispiness.

<3,

L, M, & R