If you miss the ’90s, you’ll want to try these healthy homemade “gusher” fruit snacks

If you’ve been missing your favorite snacks from your childhood, you can continue to love them into your adulthood, guilt-free. These homemade fruit snacks are exactly like the Gushers you packed for lunch in sixth grade, with a grownup twist.

Gushers, popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, are candy fruit snacks with a delicious gushy liquid center. These copycats, however, are homemade fruit snacks created with clean fruit flavors minus all the sugar you consumed as a teen. The center still gushes a sweet, gooey liquid, but now it’s healthy and won’t require a guilt-trip to the gym.

These are good on-the-go, or even packed in a brown bag for work — to share at the lunch table just like you did when you were a kid. Watch the video below for all the flavor variations and how to make the recipe.

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Healthy Homemade Gushers

Orange

1. Lightly coat candy molds with cooking spray, and place on a baking sheet. Set aside.

2. Process orange marmalade and lemon juice in a food processor until smooth, about 5 seconds. Strain mixture through a fine wire-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Spoon marmalade mixture into a small piping bag or a ziplock plastic bag, and twist end of bag tightly to secure; set aside. Chill until ready to use.

3. Process carrot juice blend, orange segments, and agave nectar in a blender until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into a small saucepan over medium-low. Stir together water and gelatin in a small bowl; spoon into saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until gelatin dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour gelatin mixture into a liquid measuring cup. Pour into molds halfway, reserving 1/2 cup mixture. Refrigerate molds, uncovered, until gelatin is set, about 1 hour.

4. Hollow out a small hole in the center of each gusher using a 1/8 teaspoon measuring spoon. Snip off tip of piping bag. Pipe a small amount of marmalade mixture into each hole. Set molds aside.

5. Heat reserved gelatin mixture in saucepan over low until melted and warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes; pour mixture into liquid measuring cup. Pour over marmalade layer in molds to fill completely. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Remove from molds, and serve.

Strawberry

Prepare recipe as directed, substituting 1/2 cup strawberry jam in place of marmalade. Omit straining. Substitute 3/4 cup strawberry-apple juice blend and 1 cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries in place of carrot juice blend and orange segments.

Blackberry

Prepare recipe as directed, substituting 1/2 cup blackberry jam in place of marmalade. Omit straining in step 2. Substitute 3/4 cup strawberry-apple juice blend and 1 cup fresh blackberries in place of carrot juice blend and orange segments. Strain mixture through a fine wire-mesh sieve into a small saucepan in step 3.

Blueberry

Prepare recipe as directed, substituting 1/2 cup blueberry jam in place of marmalade. Omit straining. Substitute 3/4 cup strawberry-apple juice blend and 1 cup fresh blueberries in place of carrot juice blend and orange segments.