by James Coulter
For Christmas, I received a toaster oven that also works as an air fryer and toaster oven. Curious, I decided to do some research on what can be prepared with a dehydrator. Many things actually: raisins, apple chips, beef jerky, and—the dish I’ll be sharing in this recipe—fruit leather.
What’s fruit leather? Well, as a kid, have you ever had a Fruit Roll-Up or Fruit by the Foot packed in your school lunchbox? Because that’s essentially what fruit leather is: a sweet treat like a homemade Fruit Roll-Up.
The best part about fruit leather is that you can make it using any fruit: apples, berries, oranges, bananas, or a combination of any of them. Whether frozen or unfrozen, fresh or over-ripe, as long as you have a blender, a dehydrator, and the patience, you can turn any fruit into a sweet treat that can’t be beat.
Best of all, because they’re dehydrated, these treats have a good shelf life. You can store fruit leather in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a month and in the fridge for several months.
The following recipe uses apples and cinnamon, but you can use any fruit you want. Go wild and experiment. These homemade treats are as extreme as the commercials used to advertise the store-bought variety.
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Apple Cinnamon Fruit Leather (from Real Mom Nutrition)
Ingredients
4 cups of peeled, chopped apples
1/2 cup water
1-2 tablespoons granulated sugar, to taste
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
1) Wash, peel, and chop apples and place them in a medium saucepan.
2) Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft.
3) Add granulated sugar and cinnamon and mash. Cook for 2-3 more minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
4) Put mixture into a blender and process until smooth.
5) Pour onto a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat (such as Silpat) and spread with a spatula into a thin layer. Bang the pan on the counter a few times to make sure the mixture is evenly distributed.
6) Bake at 170 degrees (or a similar low temperature, depending on your oven) for 2-3 hours, checking every 20-30 minutes, until it’s tacky but doesn’t stick to your finger.
7) Allow it to cool, then cut into strips (a pizza cutter works well) and roll up. Keep in an airtight container.
