One of the unexpected ways I've learned to use freeze-dried fruit is in baked goods—and I don't mean adding freeze-dried fruit to muffins or quick breads, although those are delicious options, as well. In addition to the traditional ways of using freeze-dried fruits in baking, use them to flavor frosting, cream cheese filling, buttercream, or even your batter!
Using fresh fruit in these items can prove... runny. You know what I mean—you want the delicious flavor of your favorite fruits, but when you get the strawberries (raspberries, etc.) into the frosting, the water in that fresh fruit ruins the consistency.
Using freeze-dried fruits can give you all the delicious fruit flavor you're looking for without any of the watery aftermath. Just measure out the amount you think you'll need, crush them in a food processor or blender (do NOT rehydrate... remember, we're trying to avoid additional liquid), and stir them in! It's that simple.
Trust me. You'll want to give it a try. You can thank me later (preferably in the form of freshly-baked cupcakes...).
--Urban Girl
6 comments
Joy
Common sense would tell you to start with a small amount and then taste and add more if the flavor is not stong enough to suit you. I love your ideas and receipes.
Heather
I’ve been using freeze dried strawberries for a few years. I grind them to a powder (I’m happy you now carry powdered strawberries) and use them to stabilize whip cream for cake fillings and works great for white chocolate mousse. I use about a 1/4 to 1/2 cup of powder depending on how strong of a flavor I’m trying to achieve.
beprepared
Jina,
Sorry for your frustrations, but thank you for your input. We will work on editing this post to include exact measurements.
Angela
Jina
I get frustrated with answers to questions like how much freeze dried fruit would you use? The person asking would love to have some sort of baseline to start with! Is 1/2 cup where you could start or do you need less or more??? Please help explain these new ideas (which are great!) with a little more of a starting point! Thanks.
beprepared
Linda,
Use as much freeze dried fruit as you’d like. Flavor to taste. Also, this is a really good way to use the crumbs and broken pieces of fruit at the bottom of your can. Instead of just throwing it away, you can use them to flavor other things. We also talk about this concept with making compounding butters. Check out our post about how to make compound butter from food storage for more ideas. Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://beprepared.com/blog/14144/how-to-make-compound-butter-using-food-storage/
Angela
Linda
How much freeze dried fruit would you use? It does look delicious!