As a kid I absolutely loved fruit leathers, and fruit roll-ups! In fact I still really do and my son enjoys them from time to time as well. You can easily make fruit roll ups without any added sugars or ingredients that you can't pronounce (look at the ingredients of the store bought ones you will be disgusted). I enjoy sugar so be aware that the ones I made have sugar in them but we will also go into non-sugar roll ups.
In this blog we are going to dive into the joys of making your own homemade fruit leathers, how to store them, and enjoy them!
What Do You Need?
You can choose to get fresh fruit from the store, or frozen fruit. My first time making these I decided to go with frozen fruit because you can get more for less if you'll be making big batches and it saves you time where you'd be needing to cut the fruit beforehand. If you choose to get fresh fruit I recommend cutting and pre-freezing it for an easier process. You will also need granulated sugar, honey, syrup, lemon or orange, a blender, parchment paper, a cranking sifter, a non-stick spatula such as a silicone one, a bowl, fruit of your choice and a long baking sheet.
Before making the fruit leathers you will need to be prepared to stay at home for at least 6 hours because that is how long they sit in the oven for and we do not want the house going up in flames, so this is your warning to make sure you are HOME! Get ready to kick back and relax, you won't need candles because these bad boys are going to turn your home into a sweet smelling treat.
Preparing To Leather
Lay your baking sheet out on a flat surface lining it with parchment paper. Make sure it's even spread as you will be using the parchment paper to preserve the roll ups so make sure to use it. Remove your fruit from the freezer prepare to place it in the blender.
If you are making two sheet pans full you will want to fill your blender with fruit to the top. If you're making one sheet pan I recommend 3-4 cups of fruit to blend. Remember that if you don't get the exact amount you want you can always blend more fruit to add on the pan later.
Sugar Free
Once the fruit has been added to the blender you may choose to add half the juice of a lemon or orange to help it preserve its color and blend.
SUGAR
For a sweeter treat you can add the following:
1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1/8th cup of honey
Syrup to taste (I did 1/8th cup)
If you are doing one baking sheet you may want to half these sugars, or you can add the exact measurements to see how you like it. You will also want to add half the juice of a lemon or orange to preserve the color of your roll ups. If you have extra puree you can use it as a smoothie drink!
Oven Temp
200 Degrees F start testing for doneness after 3-6 hours
Home Run, Almost Done!
Feel free to add a little bit of water, or juice to make the blending process easier. After blending everything together you will want to taste test your mix. This is my favorite part because it will taste like a smoothie, if it doesn't match your taste you can add more sugar, or more fruit until it meets your expectations. In my experience it should taste slightly stronger than you think it would when it's a full fruit leather.
Grab your bowl and sifter, pour your fruit mix into the sifter slowly. You want to crank your sifter vigorously to get our any seeds, or clumps out, this makes the fruit leather have a wonderful texture and if your child is going to be eating these and doesn't like texture you'll want to crank that bad boy until you feel like it's sifted well enough.
SHORT CUT (3hr. check mark)
If you would like to make your oven time shorter then you can boil the fruit puree for 5-10 minutes to allow for some liquid to evaporate. This step can reduce your oven time in half, but you will want to check on it at the 3 hour mark to see if you will need longer.
Oven Time
Once you've sifted everything pour your mix onto your baking sheet. Carefully slap the tray down to even out your mix. Taking your spatula scrape out any excess left on the bowl and spread the puree evenly across the parchment paper, you do not want a super thin layer, you want to cover the parchment paper so you can't see it. Carefully place your baking sheet in the oven, set a time for six hours on your phone or stovetop and WALK AWAY!
It can be very tempting once these start baking to check on them frequently but you do not want to be opening the oven off and on as this will let heat escape and take longer. I recommend checking on your fruit leathers at the three hour mark and proceeding from there.
TAKE THEM OUT!
Once your fruit leathers are finished they may have some slightly crisp edges. This is great indication that they might be done. Remove the baking sheets and place them on your stove top away from tiny fingers. You will want to let this sit for a minimum of 5-10 minutes.
After it has rested lift the parchment paper a little bit and take your kitchen scissors down the fruit leathers. Cut them to the size of your liking and then roll them.
Preserving + Storage
This wonderful fun family snack can last up to a week in an air tight container rolled in their parchment paper. For longer preservations you can keep them in your freezer in an air tight container for 6-8 months. When preserving them you will want to take the amount you want out and let them unthaw in your fridge overnight before enjoying them.
I hope you enjoy these fun delicious treats. Comment below your experience once you make them!
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