For Christmas, my husband got me a food dehydrator—something I’ve wanted for ages! I was so excited, not only because it makes dried fruit, veggies, and jerky, but also because I can use it to make homemade fruit roll-ups. And they are ridiculously simple to do, while also being healthier for you…no preservatives or gelling agents as with store bought varieties. And, while having a dehydrator makes it very easy to do, you can also make them with a conventional oven. Here’s how:
Homemade Fruit Roll-ups
Ingredients
2 cups applesauce (I used store bought, but you could make your own as well)
2 cups strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries or whatever type of fruit you want!
Directions
In a blender, puree the fruit and applesauce until smooth. Taste the mixture for sweetness. Mine did not require any added sweetener, but if your berries are more tart you may want to add a little sugar or agave nectar. I like to leave the seeds in, but you can strain them out if desired.
For The Dehydrator: Spray 2 fruit roll sheets with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the mixture in a thin, even layer onto a fruit roll sheet and place the sheet on one of the dehydrator’s trays. Dry at 135 degrees for 4 to 8 hours, or until the top of the roll is completely dry and leathery. Drying time will vary depending on how moist your fruit was. Once dry, remove from dehydrator and allow to cool, then gently remove fruit leather from the fruit roll sheet, cut into smaller sections, and rollup! Store in a mason jar in a cool, dark place or in the refrigerator.
For the Oven: Line cookie sheets with plastic wrap or silicone baking sheets sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees. Spread the fruit mixture in a thin, even layer onto the cookie sheets. Place in oven and dry for 6-8 hours, depending on how moist your fruit was, until the top is dry and it feels leathery. Allow to cool. Once cool, gently remove from pan, cut into strips and roll! Store in a mason jar in a cool dark place, or in the refrigerator.
Tip: you can make your fruit leather more like store bought fruit roll-ups by placing the dried leather onto parchment paper, then cutting into strips and rolling the leather and parchment paper together into a nice roll. This will make the rolls unroll more easily when it’s time to eat them! Just unroll and peel the fruit leather off the parchment paper as you eat.
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