Naturally Sweet Strawberry Heart Fruit Snacks

Here's an easy way to transform strawberries into naturally, no-sugar-added, real-fruit snacks:

Naturally Sweet Strawberry Hearts

1 quart strawberries

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Wash and pat dry strawberries.  *If you can do this earlier in the day, leaving the strawberries out on the counter for an hour or two will allow any residual moisture to evaporate.*

Take each strawberry and cut off the leaves by making two diagonal cuts like this:

 Remove the top and you should have a heart shape:

Turn the strawberry on it's side and cut in half vertically:

Repeat with your other strawberries and place them on a cooling rack, on top of a cookie sheet:

 Take a pinch of salt and sprinkle over the top of the berries to help extract more liquid.

Bake for 3-4 hours, opening the oven every 30 minutes or so to allow the evaporating moisture to escape.

Let cool.

Some strawberries will be more heart-shaped than others, but you should get some good ones for snacking.  Other uses:  decorating the top of a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, garnish for a dessert, a topping for pancakes or even on top of a spinach salad.

However you eat them, just try to pop one in your mouth without a smile on your face!

Life is sweet,
SPC