I don't know of any child who doesn't like a fruit roll up.. I mean, come on. You give a 30 year old a fruit roll up and they instinctively wrap it around their finger and start sucking on it like they are 5.
Anyways... I've been experimenting with a way to make these from scratch because basically fruit roll ups are not really fruit roll ups, they are refined, processed sugar roll ups... which, is no bueno.
Enter the purchase of an appliance that has been on my list for a while... a dehydrator! I am having a little too much fun with this thing. Fruit Leathers, dried fruit, dried herbs and greens for smoothies... wa hoo!
I had a few recipes flop on my quest for the perfect fruit roll up, but I finally found something that works, tastes good, and is super simple... If you have a "warm" setting on your oven, or if your oven can go down to 130-150 degrees, then you can use that! But mine doesn't... enter the dehydrator.
It is another kitchen appliance but it is a work horse and has been a fun addition to the real food way of living... I found THIS one on sale but I know there are lots of other brands that are great too. The Excaliber dehydrators (like the one in the video) are the best but I didn't want to drop a huge chunk of change for something I wasn't sure I would use. Sometimes the one I bought goes on even more of a sale at Amazon so check it out!
For the recipe, I used the video tutorial here:
super simple, easy and amazing!!!
BERRY FRUIT LEATHER
-Puree your berries (Raspberries, Strawberries or Blackberries seem to work best for me)
-add some unsweetened organic applesauce (organic apples as the ONLY ingredient)... or make your own apple or pear sauce/puree.
-Pour the mixture into a pot on the stove and heat on low to thin out the mixture, stirring frequently.
-pour onto fruit leather trays (and spray with a little coconut oil), or onto a silicone baking sheet (anything non stick)
-thin the mixture on the tray only slightly. It should be about 1/4" - 1/8" thick on the tray.
-dehydrate away! usually between 8-12 hours depending on how thick you make your layer of puree.
...you will know they are done when it is not goopy in the center anymore.
-peel off and store!
...you can use wax or parchment paper to store them easily (and make it look even more like a fruit roll up)
My Swat team approved! I seriously couldn't get a picture of him holding it up because he eats the stuff so fast!
no added sugar, no ascorbic acid and no sad kids... let me know how it goes if you try it out!
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