Homemade, allergy-free, super easy, 4-ingredient, nutrient packed baby finger snacks!
Soon after starting baby foods with Tabitha and Charlotte, I started giving them those little puffs and cheerios. I always loved the convenience of puffs and cheerios. They are easy to pack. You can keep a stash in your diaper bag. And they create little mess. But they are nutrition-lacking-tummy-fillers-that-often-begin-the-cycle-of-bad-snack-habits-and-ruin-mealtimes…at least in my case. ;)
So what is a Mama to do but make her own baby snacks. And here they are:
Don’t they look like little cookie dough balls?
They hold together pretty darn well so they really are a great little finger food. Charlotte loves them too! Tabitha is not interested in baby-food. Ha!
I love love love that these little morsels are packed, no no…jam-packed with healthy goodness! Check out these lovely healthful ingredients…
Homemade Baby Finger Snacks
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp coconut flour
1 Tbsp ground chia seeds
1 Tbsp fruit or veggie puree (I used apple sauce and sweet potato. Pumpkin, butternut squash, and carrot would be great options)
1 Tbsp sunflower seed butter
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350* (I just used my toaster oven).
2. Mix together all ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Roll into little baby bite-size balls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Alternatively, you can roll out the dough to make crackers. That saves you a bit of time for sure.
4. Bake 10 minutes and then turn off the oven keeping them in there until they feel pretty hard and start to brown a little. Allow to cool completely to set.
Makes about 1/2 cup and I am sure this could be easily doubled or tripled. Store in an air-tight container in a cool place. Keeps for 3-5 days.
Coleen
where can these things be purchased.
kristy
Hi Coleen – I get the coconut flour and chia seeds on Amazon or local health store. Vitacost.com is also a great place to shop. The sunbutter can be found anywhere. Unsweetened is a little harder to find though. I have found it a trader joe’s or amazon.
anonymous
whoa. okay seriously.. i’m twenty-two years old but i freakin LOVE those puffs! ha, man, i thought it was awesome the day i found huge bulk bags of the “happy baby” organic puffs (*with greens added no less- my favorite flavor*) at bj’s– naaah, no way.. awesome is finding, using & falling in love with coconut flour, then in searching for more ways to use it, finding a recipe to make my own puffs. THAT is awesome. i’m going to go try them right now, actually. thanks!
kristy
Haha! I know I used to snag some too! I hope you liked the recipe, though I am sure you found out these are not puffs. Just a baby friendly nutritious snack.
Cyndi
Ooooo!!! A friend and I are going to try making these, and if our kiddos like them, we’re going to do a baking day and just make a grip of them and freeze a bunch!! Thanks for the recipe idea!! :]
kristy
Oh! That’s a great idea! How did every one like them?
Cyndi
Hope you don’t mind if I reference you on my blog? :] Gonna make these today!!
kristy
Don’t mind at all!
Nicole
How do you grind the chia seeds? Or do you buy them that way? Thanks!!
kristy
Hi Nicole – I grind them in my magic bullet using the flat blade. You can also use a coffee grinder. It’s best to buy them whole and grind right before use to maintain all the nutritional properties.
Mary
Could I substitute ground flax in place of the chia?
kristy
Flax and chia are often interchangeable. I have not tried it but I am sure ground flax would work just as well. Let me know if you try/tried it.
thenightbakery
What is the texture like on these? I know the puffs are very airy(and dissolve easily). Are these similar?
kristy
These are definitely not airy like puffs. They are dense but soften easily. Hope that helps!
Jude
Is there any reason to avoid almond butter for babies? I just happen to have that and all the rest of the ingredients, so I’d like to try with that. Thanks.
kristy
Most pediatricians recommend avoiding nuts the first year since they are a common allergen. That’s why I chose the sunflower seed butter. But I am sure these would be great with almond butter.
Evelyn
Oh my goodness! I have my first batch in the toaster oven right now and it’s filling my house with the best smell ever! I’m new to the world of coconut flour, chia seeds, and sunbutter. I’m worried my 7 month old would choke on the balls. Do you think it would bake well if I made little cheerio shapes? You mentioned rolling the dough out to make crackers. How would you adjust the baking temperature and time for that?
kristy
The balls do soften very easily though they don’t necessarily dissolve like puffs or Cheerios. You could try the Cheerios shape…but that seems awfully tedious. I definitely like the crackers for ease. I baked them same temperature. Same amount of time to I believe (it’s been awhile since I made these last). Just keep an eye on them. They are done when no longer wet and starting to brown slightly on the edges. Hope that helps! And I hope you enjoy them!!!