homemade fruit leather

I was trying to use up all our fruit before we went on vacation last week.  I was also trying to think of treats for my snack loving Liam to eat in the car that wouldn't be messy.  The result?  Homemade fruit leather!  I had a bit of puree left over and was able to make some squeezy fruit too.  Bonus!

I used pears, pluots, and apples for this recipe.  I love the light sweetness of these fruits combined.  If you don't have these, don't worry, you can easily substitute other fruits.  Just be aware that you should taste your combo at least once during the process because you might need to adjust the lemon juice amount or add a bit of sweetener.

If you saw the word "pluot" and thought it was a typing error, that's okay.  So does my computer's spell-check.  I just learned about them fairly recently.  A pluot is a combination of a plum and an apricot (obvious once you know, right?)  They are very juicy and sweet with a golden interior.

Peel all your fruit and chop it up.  Size doesn't matter much, as long as the pieces are similarly sized.  Smaller chunks will cook faster.  Add the lemon juice and sugar and cook over medium-low heat for just a few minutes until fragrant.

Add the water and turn the heat up to medium.  Cook until the fruit is very soft and has begun to break down and the mixture has thickened.

Make sure to stir often to prevent sticking or burning.  Add in the cinnamon if wanted.

When the fruit has begun to darken and has mostly broken down it is time to take it off the heat.

I prefer to let the fruit cool down for a few minutes in the pot so it is easier to work with.  Then pour it in a blender and puree.

The fruit should be thick like a smoothie and soft as velvet.  Make sure to taste it at this point because from this point you can't add anything.

Prep a large lipped baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.  Spread the fruit slowly onto the paper.  Don't dump it all out at once because it might be too much.  Spread the fruit out as you pour it.  The layer should be even and just thick enough to not see the paper underneath.

Make sure you get it as even and smooth as possible.  Place the pan into the center rack of your oven with the temperature set at 250 degrees F.  If your oven doesn't want to go this low try setting your oven to "warm".  The fruit leather should be ready in about 2 hours, but keep a close eye on it because not all ovens cook the same.  Check for burning several times, and turn the pan halfway through.

I had leftover fruit and wanted to make some squeezy fruit.  If you only want to make fruit leather you can either make 2 pans worth or lessen the fruit by a third.

I ended up with four pouches of fruit.  The boys sucked the, down so fast!  These never last very long at our house!

Between my oven acting up and terrible lighting (sorry) in this picture some of my fruit leather looks a bit dark.  It should darken a little bit.  Don't worry.  You know yours is down when it is solid and bendable.

Take the fruit leather (still on the parchment paper) off the baking sheet.  Use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut down longways on the parchment paper about 2 inches apart.  Roll the strips up and tie them up.  Store them in a airtight container in a dry cool place.  They will last for several months.

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homemade fruit leather

by Liesl September-20-2014

this recipe can easily be changed if you want to use different fruit every time.

Ingredients

• 4 pears, peeled
• 4 pluots, peeled
• 2 fuji or gala apples, peeled
• 1 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Instructions

1. Peel and rough chop the fruit evenly and place in a large pot with the sugar and lemon juice. Cook on medium-low for several minutes until fragrant. Add the water and turn the heat up to medium. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, and to help break up the fruit. Mix in the cinnamon.  When the fruit has mostly broken up and thickened take the pot off the heat and allow to cool a bit.
2. Pour the fruit mixture into a blender and puree until smooth and velvety. Until you make two pans or also make some squeezy fruit, you will have leftover puree.
3. Pour the fruit mix onto a large lipped baking pan prepped with parchment paper. Pour the fruit evenly until just thick enough to the parchment paper cannot be seen and smooth. Bake at 250 degrees F (or on "warm" if you oven doesn't go that low) for about 2 hours, turning the pan halfway through. Be sure to check on the pan several times to make sure it isn't burning. The fruit leather is done when it is solid and bendy. The color will darken a bit.
4. allow the fruit leather to cool, then cut longways with a pizza cutter or a knife every 2 inches. Roll the fruit leather (still attached to the parchment paper) up and tie with kitchen string. Store in a airtight container in a cool dry place. Lasts for several months.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins 
Cook time: 2 hour 30 mins 
Total time: 2 hour 40 mins 

Yield: 8 rolls and 4 squeezy fruit pouches