When I was a child, back in the days before home computers, cell phones, and Internet (my children don't understand how we survived), I loved me a good fruit roll-up. You'd take the roll out of it's package and peel that leather off the wax paper. From there, it was a matter of art and personal expression. Some would roll the fruit leather back up and eat it like a burrito. Others would hold it flat like a tortilla and take bites off it. Me? I rolled it around my thumb and sucked it clean off. Wait. I didn't actually just share my technique to the public, did I? Don't tell anyone.
Now on to more adult-ish talk. Did you know some kinds of fruit roll ups don't even have any fruit? And most of them contain high fructose corn syrup (probably GMO), partially hydrogenated soybean oil ( also probably GMO), artificial colors and flavors,andMSG (listed as "natural flavor")?! What the what?
"Sign me up for eating every horrid ingredient on the planet disguised as a fruit snack!"
Said no one ever.
Fruit leathers are the simplest things to make and the only ingredient needed is -- get this -- fruit! You may also add spices like cinnamon if you want to get wild and crazy.
I waited forever to make fruit leathers because I thought I needed official non-stick dehydrator sheets.(NOTE: Although they won't be raw, you can still make these in the oven at 170º. Check on them after 6 hours.) Then I remembered how I used to peel the leathers off the wax and thought, why not dehydrate them right on the wax paper? Uh, yeah. So here's how it works. I've found that filling the blender with fruit will make enough purée for three sheets on the ol' Excalibur. Depending on how many trays your dehydrator has, make as many batches that you need to fill that thing up. If you can purée a fruit, you can leather it. Here's what we're making today:
Peach Cobbler Fruit Roll Ups
Makes about 15, prep: 10 minutes, dehydrate 6-8 hours
- 2 bananas
- 4 peaches
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Peel bananas. Remove peach pits & cut out any bruises.
Purée all ingredients in a blender. You'll get the best results in a high speed blender like a Vita-Mix. You might need to use the agitator to push fruit down to the blades.
Cover 3 dehydrator trays with wax paper (I like to use this unbleached kind). Pour 1/3 purée over each tray. Spread it as evenly as possible over the paper so it will dry evenly. I use my favorite spatula of all history for this job.
Remember that the leathers will shrink to less than half their current sizes, so spread them to about this thickness (about 1/3 inch, but no need to get too perfectionistic):
Dehydrate at 105º for about 6-8 hours, depending on the thickness of the leather. Check on them periodically. If they are dried for too long, they will become chips. Not long enough will leave them with soggy spots and unsafe to store at room temperature. Once they are ready, they'll be firm enough to peel off but not at all brittle.
Roll the sheets up, one at a time, in a tight spiral.
Cut them evenly into fourths. This will make a sizable roll up.
Now roll individual leathers in plastic wrap. Store in the pantry. If they are fully dehydrated with no soggy spots, they should be good at room temperature for six months to a year.
Pros:
- I lovethat the leathers have practically no contact with the toxic-leaching plastic wrap with this method.
- These are fabulous snacks for on the go and something wonderful to slip into school lunches. They have been tested on eight picky eaters who love the Trader Joe's fruit leathers and they said they liked these better!
- Many flavors can be made. Our favorites are blueberry, strawberry, and raspberry. We like berries. And all you use are, well, the berries! In the fall we look forward to apple roll ups.
Con:
- I struggle that there is waste involved. Ya just can't reuse wax paper and plastic wrap, I'm afraid.
Cost breakdown:
Because it's easiest to see the pricing using a 2-pound box of blueberries, I'm going to pull this from making two batches of blueberry leathers. Banana leathers are probably the cheapest to make unless you're using homegrown produce, the next cheapest is fruit, then berries. Two pounds organic blueberries made 2 batches (30 roll-ups), costing 17 cents each. The fruit leathers we used to buy at Trader Joe's cost 49 cents. If you are working with homegrown produce or some given to you, these babies are free outside of the wax paper and plastic wrap!
Do I think it's worth it? Well, all my children enjoy them, it only takes about ten minutes of my time to blend, spread, cut, and wrap many of them at once, and they are super cheap. I'm in love! This is definitely one method of preserving we will continue to use.
|
| Thrilled with the size of this fruit roll up. |
FAQs
Store fruit leather in a cool, dry, dark place. It will retain good quality for up to one year in the freezer, several months in the refrigerator or one to two months at room temperature.
What is the Fruit Roll-Up trick? ›
The hack entails carefully unrolling a Fruit Roll-Up and laying it flat. Then, putting a modest scoop of ice cream in the middle of the flattened Fruit Roll-Up, folding the Fruit Roll-Up tightly around the ice cream and then crimping in the corners so it's all mushed tight against the ice cream.
How long can you store Fruit Roll-Ups? ›
Storage Instructions
Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups will keep in an airtight container in a dry, cool spot in your pantry for up to 2 weeks.
How long does home made fruit leather last? ›
How Long Does Fruit Leather Last? You can easily store fruit leather, rolled up and placed in a large lidded jar or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to 1 month. For longer storage (up to 6 months), refrigerate your fruit leather. For even longer storage (up to 1 year), you can freeze your homemade treats.
Are you supposed to freeze fruit roll ups? ›
If they are made as thin as possible (around 1/16 inch), they can be frozen with the ice cream filling right away. Additionally, store-bought fruit roll ups typically contain more sugar and corn syrup, which causes them to become hard and crunchy when chilled.
Can I use parchment paper in my dehydrator for fruit leather? ›
Line the trays with parchment paper, as sometimes the puree can leak through. We start with the wrap and remove it after a few hours when it has started to dry. I've shared three of our favourites but the flavour combinations are endless.
Are you supposed to put ice cream in Fruit Roll-Ups? ›
Fruit Roll-Up Ice Cream is a TikTok trend where you wrap a sheet of Fruit Roll-Up around a scoop of ice cream. Once wrapped, the ice cream hardens the Fruit Roll-Up, thus creating a crunchy shell.
What is the new Fruit Roll-Up trend? ›
So when we saw this TikTok that showed a scoop of mango sorbet getting added to the middle of a Fruit Roll-Up and instantly freezing to create a crunchy fruit-wrapped ice cream burrito, we knew this was our moment to get the internet (and the world) excited about trying Fruit Roll-Ups in a brand new way.
Why do Fruit Roll-Ups get crunchy? ›
The soft, sticky Roll-Ups apparently harden upon contact with the ice cream, creating a crunch exterior to contrast the soft interior, delighting many of those who try it.
Where do you store Fruit Roll-Ups? ›
Roll and wrap those shapes well. For best storage it is recommended to put the rolled leathers in the refrigerator or for longer storage in the freezer. If there is any moisture in the fruit leather at all, they may mold when stored at room temperature for very long.
Everyone agrees no one should eat the plastic liner that comes with Fruit Roll-Ups. "While consumers can enjoy Fruit Roll-Ups in many fun ways, including frozen, they should always remove the plastic wrap before freezing or consuming the product," a General Mills spokesperson wrote Insider via email on March 22.
Why does my Fruit Roll-Up have spots? ›
Conversation. We're so sorry to see this! It looks like the white spots are starch from our manufacturing process that has accumulated on the fruit snack and the black ones are scorched fruit puree leftover in the drum.
Are fruit roll ups healthy? ›
Fruit leathers, fruit strips, and fruit roll-ups are healthy-sounding snacks. However, many fruit roll-ups contain too much added sugar and possibly even artificial ingredients. These products are fruit-flavored candy, not healthy snacks. Fruit, in its whole, unprocessed form, is the healthiest fruit snack we can eat.
What are the disadvantages of fruit leather? ›
Potential benefits of fruit skin leather include minimizing food wastage, creating value-added products with higher nutritional value. Drawbacks may include changes in sensory qualities and decreased levels of certain vitamins.
Is homemade fruit leather shelf stable? ›
Fruit leather is best stored tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Theoretically, homemade fruit leather is shelf-stable at room temperature, but any slight moisture left can make it mold.
Can I vacuum seal fruit leather? ›
Fruit leather will keep for up to one month at room temperature or for several months in the refrigerator. You can also freeze fruit leather. Wrap the piece in plastic (or vacuum seal) and place it inside a plastic freezer bag to store in the freezer for up to a year.
How do you store fruit so it lasts longer? ›
Storing fruit in the fridge
- Most fresh fruit, including apples, berries and grapes, will last longer if kept in their original packaging and stored in the crisper of your fridge.
- Berries can last in the fridge for about a week. ...
- Plastic bags with tiny vents (openings) help keep fruit fresh longer by releasing moisture.
YES! Fruits snacks expire, just like most edible products. But keep in mind, most fruit snacks lack an expiration date. Instead, they have a “best before” or “best by” date printed on the packaging. These dates refer to fruit snacks' quality, meaning they don't necessarily spoil after the “best before” date.
