Some foods are synonymous with childhood, but you don’t need a time machine to revisit your beloved grocery store staples! Thanks to the feast of homemade copycat recipes, featuring your favorite after-school snacks, it’s easier than ever to take a bite down memory lane. Even better, these homemade adaptations are healthier than their snack aisle counterparts. From Pop-Tarts to Fruit by the Foot, here are five copycat childhood favorites for your daily serving of nostalgia.
1. Homemade copycat Pop-Tarts
Pop-Tarts are a breakfast classic and a bright spot on mornings before school. This recipe involves two large rectangular layers of dough filled with strawberry jam. Bake and then glaze with icing made from powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract and salt. Top with sprinkles before serving.
2. Homemade copycat SpaghettiOs
This recipe captures the magic of the famous canned pasta. Start by adding oil, minced garlic and onion to a pot over medium heat. Next, mix in tomato sauce followed by Romano cheese, salt, pepper, oregano and sugar. Then throw in some meatballs, and let the sauce simmer before adding it to a bowl of cooked anolini pasta. Top with shredded Romano cheese and parsley, and enjoy!
3. Homemade copycat Twinkies
This copycat version of the coveted Twinkie is almost like the real deal! First, beat together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, butter, buttermilk, neutral oil, egg yolks and whipped egg whites until smooth. Pipe the mixture into a Twinkie mold before popping it in the oven. After baking, fill each Twinkie with icing made from sugar and egg whites combined with vanilla, marshmallow fluff and butter.
4. Homemade copycat Dippin’ Dots
These DIY Dippin’ Dots are as fun to make as they are to eat! Take a carton of rainbow sherbet, and divide the flavors into separate bowls. Add food coloring to create additional colors. Next, pour each mixture into squeeze bottles or piping bags. Then add a series of dots on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Freeze for an hour, scrape the dots into a bowl and enjoy!
5. Homemade copycat Fruit by the Foot
This recipe is a healthy upgrade on the sought-after snack. This homemade Fruit by the Foot features a blend of puréed berries, honey and lemon juice spread thinly and evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once ready, pop the baking sheets in the oven for six hours at 200 degrees Fahrenheit to dehydrate. Finally, cut the dehydrated fruit sheets into strips, and roll them up to resemble Fruit by the Foot.
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