Tag: fruit leather

Farmers’ Market Fun: Homemade Fruit Leather and Apple Chips

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Farmers Markets are fantastic this time of year, featuring the last of the summer fruits (think berries, peaches, and plums) and the first of the fall harvest (apples!). To celebrate the end of summer, we headed to the market on a warm Sunday morning, then brought our bounty home to turn it into delicious fruit leather and other snacks.

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Bonus: The following recipes are perfect for packing in your kids’ lunch boxes for school.

For our first batch, Travis and I used peaches. He was so proud helping me peel the skin from 4 large peaches (parents, use discretion on whether or not your child needs help with this tool).

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I sliced the peaches and Travis was in charge of transfering them to the blender, so proud to do so!

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We added 2 tablespoons agave nectar and 2 teaspoons lemon juice. It was Travis’s very important job to be the taste tester, and I asked him if it needed either more agave or lemon. Nope, just right!

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Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Bake at 170 degrees F for 4 hours, leaving the door of the oven cracked open just slightly (this step made me slightly nervous, but I guess it can be done!).

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Cut into slices (leave the plastic wrap on for easy backing) and store in an air-tight container.

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To prepare an apple chip version, we pureed 5 apples (cored but not peeled) with 1/2 cup water until smooth. Note: next time I would use less water.

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Pour into a 13×9-inch baking dish lined with plastic wrap. Again, bake at 170 degrees F for 4 to 5 hours, leaving the door cracked. Because I used too much water, our apples turned out more like another fruit leather, not true apple chips. But still yummy!

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Don’t stop there! Try strawberry fruit leather in late summer, or pear fruit leather as autumn arrives. For the strawberry version, use 4 cups strawberries in place of the peaches. We had to give this one a full 6 hours in the oven!

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The pear version ended up being our best and favorite! For this one, I used 3 pears and cooked for 4 and 1/2 hours.

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Cran-Raspberry Fruit Leather

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Cran Fruit Leather (2)

I never would have thought to make my own fruit leather at home – those sticky strips always sold near the cash register at the market – until I spotted this recipe in Family Fun magazine. Turns out it’s surprisingly easy, not to mention the recipe will make your home smell deliciously festive as the leather slow-cooks in the oven for 4 full hours.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (14-ounce) can cranberry sauce
  • 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
  2. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, and pour the fruit mixture onto the pan. Spread into an even layer, about 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Bake at 200 degrees F for 4 hours. The center should be set by the end; if not, continue to cook up to 5 hours if needed.
  4. Let cool on the pan, then remove from the foil and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into strips with a pizza cutter, and store in a plastic bag in the fridge up to 2 weeks.