Flashback: Make Homemade Fruit Leather

Craft & Design Food & Beverage
Flashback: Make Homemade Fruit Leather

CZ_WebBanner_A_Flashback.gif

july-kidskitchen-peachcherryfruitleather-final_b

By Katie Goodman

Fruit Roll-Ups are fun treats, but they’re not exactly something I want my kids eating every day. I recently experimented with making homemade fruit leather. It’s so good!

Recipes like this are perfect for when you have lots of less-than-prime fruit on hand that needs to be used up fast. In this instance, I had a combo of peaches and cherries that would soon be heading south.

Give this 100% fruit snack a try next time your kids have a sweet craving. You can control the amount of sugar or use none at all.

Download PDF Download the Recipe PDF

Right click to save the PDF to your desktop. Directions on downloading PDFs.

Ingredients

4-5 large peaches (5 1/2 cups chopped)

2 1/2 cups fresh cherries

1 cup water

Sugar or agave, to taste

Directions

july-kidskitchen-peachcherryfruitleather-slicepeaches.jpg

Step 1: Wash and dry the fruit.

Step 2: Slice the peaches in half, starting at the stem, and cut through till you reach the pit. Cut all the way around the peach. Then, twist the two halves to separate them. Remove and discard the pit. Slice and chop the peaches.

july-kidskitchen-peachcherryfruitleather-pitcherries.jpg

Step 3: Using a cherry pitter, remove the stems and pits from the cherries. Discard the pits and stems.

july-kidskitchen-peachcherryfruitleather-combineinpot.jpg

Step 4: Combine the peaches and cherries in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add the water. Place over medium heat on the stove. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Step 5: Remove the lid and mash the fruit using a potato masher.

Step 6: Taste for sweetness and add sugar or agave according to your personal tastes. You may not need to add any if your fruit is very sweet. Start with no more than 1 tablespoon of sweetener at a time and adjust until you’ve reached your perfect sweetness.

july-kidskitchen-peachcherryfruitleather-inoven.jpg

Step 7: Add mixture to a food processor and puree until very smooth.

Step 8: Line a rimmed baking sheet(s) with parchment paper. You may need more than one sheet depending on its size. I used two 15 1/2″ x 10″ baking sheets. Pour the puree onto the lined baking sheet until the mixture is 1/4″ thick. For fruit roll-up-like thinness, use two 15 1/2″ x 10″ baking sheets and pour at a thickness of ⅛”. For a thicker, fruit leather style, use one pan and pour at a thickness of ¼”.

Step 9: Bake the sheets in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for 8-10 hours, or until the puree is dry and leather-like. When ready, the puree will no longer be sticky and will have a smooth surface.

Step 10: After the fruit leather has dried, it is easily peeled away from the parchment paper. Store it rolled in the parchment in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

About the Author:

author_katiegoodman2.jpg

Katie Goodman blogs at goodLife {eats} where she shares what she finds good in the kitchen and in life through recipes, family memories, and yummy photography. She also works as a freelance food writer and photographer for various sites. Outside of cooking, Katie loves reading, gardening, visiting family, and attending the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she resides with her husband and two children.

2 thoughts on “Flashback: Make Homemade Fruit Leather

  1. A says:

    You mean 150 degrees Fahrenheit yes?

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Haley Pierson-Cox from Red-Handled Scissors is a maker of crafts, a lover of cats, an avid swearing enthusiast, a cross-stitch book author, and a general purveyor of quirk. She's also sometimes an irritable cartoon named Tiny Cranky Haley. https://www.redhandledscissors.com

View more articles by Haley Pierson-Cox

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK