Here's a great baking tip!
Dried Blueberries are delicious in homemade scones with coffee. Plus, those dried blueberries are easy and quick to make and have on hand for so many homemade baked goods.
But if you’re tired of paying exorbitant prices for a tiny little bag of dried blueberries for your baking or snacking, then it’s time to dry your own. Here’s an easy way to quench your thirst for these little blue dots of antioxidants. You don’t even need a food dryer - You can make them in your own oven.
Plus, you can avoid the extra sugar or artificial sweeteners in some of those store-bought dried fruit by making your own. Some people dry their blueberries with honey, but I prefer drying them without any sweetener.
I bought 6 beautiful young blueberry bushes 10 years ago from a local nursery to plant in my own backyard and have a bountiful crop every year! Each year they begin to ripen by the 4th of July and I get pickings every few days for at least couple of weeks. That’s enough fresh blueberries to quench my thirst for breakfast berries every day and to make delicious blueberry scones, blueberry muffins, Blueberry Crumble Cookies, blueberry martinis, blueberry lemon pie, blueberry cheesecake, crusty blueberry dried fruit bread…and more to dry and freeze for winter baking.
They are so easy to raise, especially when you depend on Mother Nature to water them. And I have the right length of water hose to reach them just in case Mother Nature is on strike in the spring or early summer.
It's fun to see the beautiful white clumps of blossoms every spring. Then it’s a waiting game for them to set the berries and ripen and think about which delicious recipes I want to create.
No, I do not cover them with netting to keep the birds away. Simply because I never have to worry about the birds - there are plenty for all of us. This year a couple of birds even perched their new nest in the middle of a sturdy blueberry bush branch.
If I need more blueberries, I order or pick them at one of the many local blueberry farmers or grab a few boxes at the Farmers Market.
Prep your baking pan:
Line your rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. I prefer a rimmed pan so I don’t cause the blueberries to roll off.
Preheat your oven:
Heat your oven to 225F degrees a few minutes before you’re ready to start the drying process.
Gather up the ingredients for dried blueberries:
2 Cups of blueberries is what I begin with. I like them to spread out so they are not touching each other. They tend to dry a little better.
Bake them:
-Just spread them on parchment paper on a flat baking sheet with sides (so they don’t roll off).
-Preheat your oven to 225F degrees and let them dry in the oven for 3 hours.
-I check them at the 2-hour mark and again at the 2.5-hour mark in case they are dry enough sooner than the 3 hours.
-Remove from the oven and let them dry and cool off completely.
-Then pack them in an airtight container. I keep mine sealed at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks. I have not kept them any longer since I use them up so fast.
-It’s that EASY!
Now you’re ready to use them in your baking…like blueberry scones, muffins, cakes, bread and more. Mix them with fresh berries or use them independently. They make an easy grab and go snack, too.
I especially love dried blueberries mixed with dried cranberries, golden raisins and walnuts or pecans in a crusty homemade bread.
However you use your dried blueberries, share them and “Bake your own Memories!”
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