I love to buy boxes of apple "seconds" (apples that were picked off the ground instead of straight off the tree) in the fall from a nearby orchard to make fruit leather. They are usually slightly more than half the price of a regular box & are perfect for this little project. I have a lot of fond memories eating homemade fruit leather at my grandma's house while playing games. She actually took the time to roll them up in to individual rolls but I'm much more lazy than that & simply cut them into strips & store in a Tupperware.
This fruit leather is so awesome because you can literally make it with one ingredient if you want. They make a great snack replacement for fruit snacks, fruit by the foot, & other sugary, nutrient-poor options out there. I wouldn't make them a daily snack as opposed to eating a whole apple, but they are life savers that I keep in my purse or diaper bag to keep a toddler happy in the store or while out & about.
My husband loves some cinnamon in his and my favorite is to add a quarter lemon to give it a bit of tangy-ness. You can also add in or use other fruits in place of apples. I've thrown in a few peaches or strawberries before or even plum leather tastes great too but might need a little bit of sweetener if they aren't as ripe. Bananas also make a great leather.
I typically only have motivation to make these once a year, so we make a lot & when it's gone it's gone and won't be around again until the fall :) These are super easy to over eat, so remember that a few strips (depending on the size you do) can be the equivalent of many apples.
1 Ingredient Fruit Leather
Ingredients
Apples or other fruit (bananas, peaches, strawberries, plums, etc.)
Additional Add-in Ideas
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 lemon (wash it really well & throw it in the blender with the peel & all!)
- Other fruits (bananas, peaches, strawberries, plums, etc.)
1. Wash & peel apples. You'll need a lot! Technically you don't have to peel the apples but I like the leather much better when they've been peeled.
2. Cut around the core (see pic) & toss into a high-power blender.
3. Blend the apples and/or other add-ins until it becomes smooth like apple sauce. Make a whole blender full.
*Note: Adding apples that fills the blender about half full & blending it into a purée first makes adding the rest of the apples (a few at a time) a much better blending experience.
4. Line dehydrator trays with non-stick dehydrator sheets.
5. Split the purée onto 3-4 sheets, depending on the size of your blender jar.
6. Spread the purée with a spatula in the shape of a square until it's about 1/4" thick.
7. Place the sheets in the dehydrator at 105 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 8 hours. I typically put them in before bed and then check on them when I wake up. Be careful not to over dry it or it'll be more like an apple chip then leather.
8. Once dry, let the sheets cool & then cut the leather into strips & store in an air-tight container.
