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Homemade fruit leather!? All you need is apples, cinnamon and honey to make this super tasty and healthy apple fruit leather! Perfect for lunchboxes or a little afternoon snack!
As I’m writing this post I have to admit I’m a little sad – there is a light smattering of snow falling down and there are NO more apples on the trees! Well, the only ones left are squishy, wrinkled and gross. *Sigh* fall is just about over here and we’re starting to transition to winter. My least favorite season of the year but what always feels like the longest!
Ah well. At least I can snack on my hoards of fruit leather that I’ve got stock-piled while I watch the snow fall!
We THOROUGHLY enjoyed our new apple trees this summer, and I’m already making some grand plans for next summer. The only problem with picking a ton of apples is knowing what to do with them all!
A few things come to mind; homemade apple sauce, pull-apart apple bread, apple cake….BUT fruit leather is another great choice!
What is fruit leather?
If you’ve ever bought those dried fruit snacks that are very thin and ONLY made of fruit, then you’ve probably had fruit leather! It’s essentially a fruit puree spread very thin, then dehydrated until dry and bendable.
By removing all of the moisture from the fruit, the snack will last you a very long time before going bad! It’s perfect for adding into lunchboxes or bringing along on a road trip!
How do you make apple fruit leather?
You only need a few ingredients and under 10 minutes to make this leather – the longest part is just waiting for it to all dry!
For this recipe, you need:
- apples
- honey (or maple syrup)
- cinnamon
- water
You can use your favorite type of apple for this recipe; I generally like to use something crisp, with a bit of bite. Since I had SO many apples from the tree, I just used these ones! Any apple will do.
Dice them up into small-ish pieces, removing the seeds and cores, then place them into a high-powered blender or food processor with the honey and cinnamon and a bit of water. Blend until very smooth and no visible chunks remain.
Now, for the drying part.
I have a really great dehydrator that comes with plastic trays to use specifically for fruit leather. If you don’t have this option, you can use parchment paper on top of your regular dehydrator tray. I’ve got information on making it in the oven a little farther down in this post.
*Note* if using the plastic dehydrator trays, spray them thoroughly with nonstick spray first to ensure an easy roll-up once they’re done drying!
Once pureed, spread the mixture out on your trays (or parchment lined trays) very thinly, but thick enough that nothing shows through.
Place the trays in the dehydrator at 140 F until dried and no longer tacky to the touch, about 3-4 hours. Once done, you can remove them and immediately peel them away from the tray into a tight roll. Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and store for later! (Or enjoy immediately).
PS – the rolling up is a very fun task to get your kids to help with 😉
How long does fruit leather keep?
This apple fruit leather will keep at room temperature, in plastic wrap, for up to 2 weeks. If you made a giant batch and want it to last longer, store it in the fridge or freezer.
Fridge: Up to 2 months
Freezer: Up to 6 months.
If storing it in the freezer, just thaw it in the fridge before eating!
How do you make apple fruit leather in the oven?
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can easily make this in the oven! Follow the steps for pureeing the apples as above, then line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Give it a quick spray with nonstick spray, then spread the fruit puree out on the wrap, the same thickness as with the dehydrator trays (about 1/4″ thick).
Place the tray in the oven heated to 140 F for about 8-10 hours, or until dry and no longer tacky to the touch. Peel it from the plastic wrap and enjoy!
Some of my other favorite easy treats from the blog:
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Apple Fruit Leather
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 10–12 fruit leathers 1x
Description
Homemade fruit leather!? All you need is apples, cinnamon and honey to make this super tasty and healthy apple fruit leather! Perfect for lunchboxes or a little afternoon snack!
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped apples, seeded and cored
- 1 tbsp honey*
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a high-powered blender or food processor, combine the chopped apple, honey, ground cinnamon and water. Blend on high until completely pureed and smooth, with no visible chunks remaining.
- Spray the dehydrator trays with nonstick spray**. Spread the puree in a thin layer (about 1/4″) on the trays. Place the prepared trays in the dehydrator and turn the temperature to 140 F. Dry the fruit leather out for 3-4 hours or until no longer sticky to the touch.
- Remove the trays and grab one edge of the fruit leather, then roll it up tightly. Wrap the rolls in plastic wrap individually to store, or place them all in a resealable plastic bag.
The fruit leathers can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 weeks, in the fridge for up to 2 months and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Notes
*If you want to keep these treats vegan, be sure to use maple syrup instead of honey
**You can use the plastic fruit leather trays that came with your dehydrator, or use parchment paper on top of the regular trays. For oven instructions, refer to post above.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: snacks
- Method: dehydrator
- Cuisine: american
I made one batch and it was spectacular, but the two batches I tried after that haven’t worked. Instead of being smooth and fruit leathery; it had been crumbly, like a very delicious part of granola, but nothing like fruit leather. Any idea what I’ve done wrong?
Hm, it sounds like its getting too dried out. I would remove it a bit earlier than the stated time. Also be sure not to spread it too thin!