Jelly slice… my all time childhood favourite!

I couldn’t tell you how many slices of this bad boy I devoured as a kid.

Unfortunately though, the ingredients in this slice were anything but healthy!

In fact ‘traditional’ Jelly Slice is generally made from Arnott’s ‘Marie’ biscuits (exact ingredients: Wheat Flour, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Contains: Soy), Golden Syrup, Baking Powder, Salt, Flavour, Milk Solids)…. Nestle sweetened condensed milk (which is pasteurised milk & sugar) & then to top it off, raspberry aeroplane jelly (exact ingredients: Sugar, Gelatine (Beef Origin), Acidity Regulators (297, 331), Flavour, Colours (122, 133))

So in a nut shell… sugar, soybean oil, pasteurised milk… & more sugar.

This can then cascade into destroyed gut bugs, hormonal imbalances, increased free radicals, reduced Vitamin C intake… & that’s just the half of it.

…Why is Nestle called the “Leading Nutrition, Health & Wellness” company again? Maybe we’re in upside down world?

Needless to say… this is NOT the type of Jelly Slice you want to be eating – I don’t care how small the piece is or how delicious it tastes!

But the good news is that you don’t have to eat unhealthy Jelly Slice EVER again!

The recipe that I’m about to share with you not only tastes delicious… but there’s absolutely NO “fake” ingredients in there! Only real wholefoods & REAL gut healing gelatin… & all free from refined sugars, gluten, dairy & grains.

If you’re an old time Healthy Patcher you might have already seen one of our “Healthy Jelly Slice” recipes, but this is the new & improved version!

It contains less natural sugar (but is still perfectly sweet) & is a lot easier to make!

The base contains almonds which are an awesome source of monounsaturated fat, which helps to reduce insulin sensitivity, leading to less stored body fat. They also contain Vitamin E, which helps to keep your skin healthy & clear.

The middle layer is predominately made from coconut cream which gives you a good dose of slow burning energy. It increases your metabolism, keeps you full for longer & helps you to burn fat.

The jelly is made from mixed berries & grass fed Gelatin. Gelatin supports the lining of your gut which is vital for stopping undigested food particles from getting out of your stomach & into your blood stream – AKA Leaky Gut – which can lead to inflammation & auto-immune conditions. It’s also been shown to improve sleep quality & reduce day time drowsiness!

Now this recipe is really easy, however if you’ve never worked with Gelatin before, let me give you some pointers 🙂

GELATIN POINTERS:

#1. Firstly, there are 2 types of Gelatin that you can use. There is Gelatin powder & “sheet leaf” Gelatin.

The leaf style gelatin is generally used over the powder in desserts because it is meant to dissolve better & meant to be a “clearer & smoother” jelly. We have used both & they are both pretty much the same.

#2. For the powdered gelatin we purchase “Great Lakes Unflavoured Gelatin” from iHerb here.

For the leaf gelatin we purchase “Chefs choice silver grade leaf gelatin”.

If you go with the powdered gelatin, you need to soak the powder in a little cold water for about 5 minutes… after which you need to add it to hot liquid. It then needs to be stirred so all the lumps are out, & then set in the fridge for a few hours or the freezer for about an hour.

Now this is a lot easier than it sounds… Just grab a little bowl, put your required amount of gelatin in it, & then add the water. You want the water to be double the amount of the gelatin. E.g 2 tbsp. Gelatin = 4 tbsp. Water.

After 5 minutes the water will be gone & instead, you’ll see a nice big ball of gel 🙂 Then you simply add your gel ball to your hot liquid & stir!

If you’re using the leaf gelatin it’s a really similar process – just soak the leaves in ice cold water for about 5 minutes & once they’ve expanded & go “jelly like” gently squeeze out any remaining water, add the jelly leaf to the hot liquid & stir.

#3. One more pointer & then we’ll get to it… a little gelatin goes ALONG way!

If you use hydrolysed collagen in your food… & you’re anything like me & Anth, you might be used to not measuring it out… or just going plain nuts with the stuff.

HOWEVER… Gelatin on the other hand – although super tempting to add extra because of its health benefits – will go firmer & firmer the more you use.

Another tbsp than what this recipe calls for will most likely result in gummy bear texture – not what you want… we’re making jelly, not gummy bears 😉

So unless you’re some kind of Gelatin wizard, stick to the recipe :p

HEALTHY JELLY SLICE

INGREDIENTS

BASE:

• 2 1/2 Cups Almond Meal
• 1 Organic Egg
• 1/4 Cup Coconut Oil
• 3/4 Cup Coconut Chips
• 4 dates

MIDDLE LAYER:

• 1 x 400ml Can Coconut Cream
• 2 Tbsp Organic Honey or Maple Syrup
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Bean Powder
• 1 Tbsp. Grass Fed Gelatin & 2 Filtered Tbsp. Water OR 4 sheets of Leaf Gelatin
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
• Juice from 1/2 a small lemon

JELLY LAYER:

• 2 1/2 cups mixed berries (we use a mix of frozen blueberries, raspberries, strawberries & blackberries)
• 1/2 Cup Filtered Water
• Juice of 1/2 a small lemon (the other half!)
• 2 Tbsp. Gelatin & 4 Tbsp. Filtered Water OR 8 sheets of Leaf Gelatin
• 3 Tbsp. Organic Honey or Maple Syrup

METHOD

BASE:

Line a square or rectangle baking dish with parchment paper. (Note that we usually use a square baking dish however this time we have used a larger rectangle baking dish because we made a double batch)

Add all ingredients for the base into a food processor & process until combined.

Firmly press mixture into the backing dish until even.

Place in the freezer to set.

MIDDLE LAYER:

Whilst your base is setting in the freezer, it’s time to work on the middle layer!

Prepare your gelatin by placing it in a bowl with cold water. (see “Gelatin Pointers” above). Leave for around 5 minutes or until the powder forms into a big ball of gel OR your sheet leaf gelatin turns big & has a gel consistency.

Place all other ingredients for your middle layer into a small saucepan & heat on a low heat. Take it off the heat just before it starts to simmer. Once off the heat add your gelatin into the liquid & stir really well to make sure there are no lumps. The gelatin should dissolve almost instantly but I always like to stir for about a minute to make sure it is lump free!

Allow mixture to cool down (you don’t want it to be piping hot!), go get your baking dish out of the freezer & pour the liquid onto the base.

Place back in the freezer to set. (Note – this usually takes around an hour or so to set).

JELLY LAYER:

Just like you did before, prepare your gelatin by placing it in a bowl with cold water. (see “Gelatin Pointers” above). Leave for around 5 minutes or until the powder forms into a big ball of gel OR your sheet leaf gelatin turns big & has a gel consistency.

Place all other ingredients for your jelly (berries, water, lemon juice & sweetener) into a high speed blender & blend until smooth.

Transfer to a small saucepan & gently heat up over a low heat (Note that if you used frozen berries it will take a little while to heat up).

Take it off the heat just before it starts to simmer. Once off the heat add your gelatin into the liquid & stir really well to make sure there are no lumps. Like before, the gelatin should dissolve almost instantly but I always like to stir for about a minute to make sure it is lump free!

Allow mixture to cool down. Once cool, go get your baking dish out of the freezer & carefully pour the jelly onto the now set middle layer.

Place back in the freezer to set. (Note – this usually takes around 30 minutes).

Once set, cut into squares & enjoy your health jelly slice!! 🙂

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