Fruit Kebabs – School Birthday Treat Gets Healthy

by Dorothy Reinhold on February 1, 2011


Print This Post Print This Post Fruit Kebabs on Shockingly Delicious

When it comes time for your child’s birthday at school, and you are on the hot seat to deliver a yummy birthday treat to the class of 25, what do you say to eschewing those nasty store-bought cupcakes with the trans fat this and the high fructose that and the ingredient list a chemist couldn’t decipher?

I have two words for you, and they are good words, careful words, wise words. Delicious words, in fact!

Fruit kebabs!

My son’s 9th birthday couldn’t have been any sweeter than it was with these kebabs, delivered to the class while the kids sang him the birthday song. As school birthday treats go, this one got an A+.

Fruit Kebabs from Shockinglydelicious.com

Birthday boy is quite happy with his treat offering for the classroom!

At home, I threaded some fruit chunks onto a wooden skewer, laid them all on a tray, and away I drove to school to be the fruit lady. Now, if I had made a fruit salad, that would be fine, too, but somehow, the kebab beguiled. It charmed. The kebab was unique. The kebab was a little kooky, even. Definitely worth eating!

I learned a few lessons along the way, but really, this is a very simple operation so don’t overthink it. Lessons learned were:

  1. Have a variety of fruits in bite-size chunks.
  2. If you use something like an apple chunk, you must dip the cut apples in acidulated water (lemon juice water) before using, then dry off. Otherwise, they will oxidize and get brown. Kids won’t eat brown fruit.
  3. Top the skewer with something special if you like. I used brownie bites, but you could easily top it with a mini marshmallow, or leave the kebab all fruit. Your choice.
  4. If you do use a special treat like a tiny brownie square, then put “dry” fruit around it. A grape is an example of dry fruit. You want something that won’t leak juice unto the brownie bite. A watermelon chunk would be too wet and leaky, for example.
  5. You could do a sort of color theme (a red fruit kebab might have watermelon, grapes, apple slices, strawberries) or a multicolored rainbow kebab might include green kiwi or grapes, orange slices or cantaloupe or mango, yellow pineapple, purple blueberries or grapes, etc. The red in your rainbow could be watermelon, strawberry, raspberry, or hey, even a cherry tomato! Isn’t a tomato actually a fruit?
  6. Don’t be afraid of repeating a fruit chunk. More than 1 grape on a kebab is dandy!
  7. Cut all the fruit ahead of time and place it in separate bowls. Then get a kebab stick and make an assembly line process. Exploit child labor if you have it handy.
  8. This might be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway. Wooden kebab sticks are sharp, so you will be the best judge of whether your child and his friends are old enough to handle the stick without incident. For us, age 9 was just fine. There were no sword fights.
Fruit Kebabs from Shockinglydelicious.com

Layer the kebabs between sheets of waxed paper so they stay neat.

Fruit Kebabs

  • Fruits (such as grapes, watermelon, apples, oranges, cantaloupes, mangos, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple, cherry tomato for a wild card!)
  • Wooden kebab sticks (one per person)
  • Special treat (such as mini marshmallow or brownie bite) optional

Cut fruit into bite-size chunks (do not cut grapes or whole berries). Thread fruit chunks onto wooden skewers. As you make each skewer, lay it down on a large tray. Once you cover the tray with a single layer of skewers, place a piece of waxed paper on top and begin your next layer of skewers if needed. This will keep them tidier than if you pile skewers on top of each other and the fruit starts getting entwined.

If you are using a special treat, put that on first or use it as an ending piece.

Plan for one skewer per person.

Fruit kebabs could also be great as:

  • an appetizer
  • a brunch offering
  • a snack
  • dessert

Fruit Kebabs from Shockinglydelicious.com

This is entered in the contest Get Grillin’ with Family Fresh Cooking and Cookin’ Canuck, sponsored by Ile de France Cheese, Rösle, Emile Henry, Rouxbe and ManPans.

{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }

Kate Carpenter March 20, 2014 at 9:30 pm

What are the things on the end that look like Turkish Delight?

Reply

Dorothy Reinhold March 21, 2014 at 7:46 am

Kate,
The end piece is not Turkish Delight (although I can see how it might look like that), but is a brownie square dusted in powdered sugar. On sale from the grocery, impulse buy…seemed like the perfect little cap.

Reply

flo December 8, 2013 at 9:39 am

i have made fruit kebabs for years and was asked to do them and some other fresh treats to go with them in doing so I came across this and thourght my friends may like for there young and older party goses

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Dorothy Reinhold December 8, 2013 at 1:00 pm

Flo,
Quite right…I have found that both kids AND adults love these!

Reply

Connie Kaiser March 26, 2012 at 8:03 am

Had champage brunch on this stormy Sunday and the fruit kebabs were a HUGE hit! Strawberry, pineapple, red grapes and blueberries and skewered with teensie-tiny marshmallows the size of the smallest blueberries – each one differently strung together – looked like abstract art. Guests even took them at the end to eat on the way home!

Reply

Dorothy March 26, 2012 at 8:59 am

Connie,
So glad they were loved! I adore the idea that they looked like art, AND that people took them to eat in the car!

Reply

Valentina February 13, 2012 at 10:53 pm

excellent!

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Marla July 7, 2011 at 11:44 am

Love the idea of the brownie bite with the fruit! We would love if you link these up to our Kebab portion of Get Grillin’ …..if you wish 😉

Reply

Eva Smith June 17, 2011 at 5:59 pm

GREAT IDEA!!!!
Im doing it for my daughters birthday at school ! Thanks

Reply

Dorothy June 18, 2011 at 8:25 am

Eva,
Glad to hear it! I hope it makes her the talk of the school that day (in a good way)!

Reply

Susie March 31, 2011 at 9:39 pm

For littler kids who might not be trustworthy with sharp sticks, I’ve heard of using straws…assembly would be a little more challenging, but safe for all ages! 😉

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Leah Cruse February 6, 2011 at 7:58 pm

I love your fruit kabob recipe!! I made them for my son’s basketball team party and they were a hit. It was so easy that both my kids were able to help. They also got a little creative in the process. This recipe will be one of my standards. Thanks!

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Dorothy February 6, 2011 at 8:01 pm

Thanks Leah! They are PERFECT for a sports party, and I am all in favor of exploiting child labor when assembling the kebabs. That’s the best way!

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Leslie February 1, 2011 at 8:37 pm

Happy Birthday Nick!
Dorothy what a great idea. I will try this out with some teenagers over the weekend–wish me luck!

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Dorothy February 1, 2011 at 8:58 pm

Leslie,
Teenagers will love this, I predict!

Reply

Surfer Girl February 1, 2011 at 1:59 pm

Heck with the kids – I’m bringing these to my next ‘adult’ pot luck!! What a great idea for an alternative to unhealthy desserts.

This will surely be a hit at our bbq gatherings this Summer – thanks for another FAB idea Dorothy! 😀

Reply

Dorothy February 1, 2011 at 2:03 pm

Lori,
You’re right! You could also do a theme color, like green (green apples, green grapes, kiwi, honeydew, etc.) for a different look.

Reply

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