Fruit Roll-Ups were a childhood sweet staple for me (my favorite non-healthy - though still HFCS-free - brand is Joray), but as my tastes and taste for healthier alternatives evolved, I learned to instead reach for fruit leather - like Stretch Island Organic - or other similar store-bought products that only have fruit and natural fruit juice as ingredients.But like just about anything else, homemade trumps store-bought - you have complete control over ingredients and taste - and this rule definitely applies to fruit leather. I recently attempted a first stab at making it, so I have some fine-tuning to do - and will post updated recipes in the future - but for now, this seems to be a good basic recipe to build off of.I used a dehydrator, but an oven at a low temp also works fine.We had a little cheesy laugh when I first cut into the prepared and cooled fruit leather - I inadvertently made it into a "C", the first letter of my fiance's last name (and my last-name-t0-be)... or Pac Man, depending on how you look at it...:
So I continued slicing wedges:
And finally rolled the slices up and placed them in a jar for easy grabbing!:
Raspberry Banana Fruit LeatherWhat You Need
- 1 pint of fresh raspberries
- 1/2 ripe banana
- 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
What You Do
- Using your fingers, coat the puree/liquid sheet of your dehydrator with a very thin film of coconut oil. If you don't have a dehydrator, line a small baking sheet with tin foil, then parchment paper, and lightly grease that with the oil.
- In a blender (Blendtec or VitaMix is preferable, for their power), puree the raspberries, banana and vanilla for at least 2 minutes. I left the raspberry seeds in (vs. straining them out) because they contain important nutrients. With a powerful enough blender, the seeds will also be pulverized (I learned my lesson and will blend the mix a bit longer next time).
- Pour the puree on your dehydrator or baking sheet and spread out evenly with a spatula.
- Turn the dehydrator (or oven) temperature to 115 degrees. The dehydration process will take longer at this temperature than a higher one, but it will prevent all of the good fruit enzymes from being killed off.
- Dehydrate for about 12 hours. About 10 hours in, I tested mine and noticed that it was solid and formed, but the underside was still a little mushy. So, I flipped the fruit leather sheet over and continued the process for another two hours or so, and everything dried out evenly.
- When done, remove and let the fruit leather cool completely on a piece of parchment paper before you cut it.
- Slice as you like, roll up and eat to your heart's desire! I'd say if you don't finish eating your batch within 2 days, refrigeration is a good idea.