Fruit Leather

One of my favorite childhood snacks was fruit leather. I was lucky enough to have parents that made it every year. We always had large mason jars filled with all different flavors of fruit leather. Summertime is when my family made our roll-ups. My dad made a gigantic screen tray that we put outside to let the sun dry the leather. If you're lucky enough to have a yard and warm summers I highly recommend letting the sun make your rollups!  

If the sun isn’t an option for you (unfortunately, it’s no longer possible for me) then you can use a dehydrator or oven to make fruit leather. It’s surprisingly easy to make as long as you have lots of fruit! 

Nearly any fruit can be made into leather. You just need to be able to make a smooth puree that’s a little thick. Watermelon by itself is a tricky fruit because it’s basically water…

Fruits that work really well: 

Berries: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries & blackberries

Stone Fruits: peaches, apricots, nectarines & plums

Tropical Fruits: Dragon fruit, mango & papaya

Other fruits: Apples, pears & kiwi

Sweetening Fruit Leather:

This is really up to your own personal preference. With some fruits a dollop of honey, coconut sugar or maple syrup helps to really balance the flavor and keeps the leather from having a bitter taste

Lemon or lime juice will help preserve the color and really lifts the flavor of the fruit

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of fresh fruit (I usually make a gigantic batch. 3 cups is the minimum size you want. A rule of thumb is 1 tablespoons lemon juice per 3 cups fruit + sweetener if adding) 
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 0-3 Tablespoons raw honey or sweetener of choice

Instructions:

Blend all the ingredients together 

Oven:

Set oven temperature to the lowest setting, preferably 150° (needs to be below 200°) 

Line baking sheet with a silpat 

Spread the fruit mixture evenly in the pan. Tapping the pan on the counter a few times to remove any bubbles and help the mixture even  

Bake for 6-8 hours, or until the leather is no longer tacky

Remove from oven and let it cool 

Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips

Roll strips in parchment or cellophane paper 

Dehydrator: 

Spread fruit mixture on dehydrator sheets 

Dehydrate for 5-6 hours or until the leather is no longer tacky 

Turn off dehydrator and let them cool completely

Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips

Roll strips in parchment or cellophane paper 

Natural Sun: 

Spread fruit mixture on tray. You will probably need to cover tray with saran wrap 

Depending on the intensity of the sun it could take 1-2 days to dry completely

Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips

Roll strips in parchment or cellophane paper 
 

Storage:

Fruit leather will last for a few weeks in a cool dry cabinet 

Stored in the refrigerator it will last for a month or so

To store for longer periods of time it’s best to freeze in a ziplock bag