How to Make Fruit Leather

This season, do something extra with seasonal fruits! Be it is fall, winter, spring or summer, you can always find dozens of fruits piled up in the nearest store or your refrigerator. And if you are searching for a way to consume all those piled up fruits or if you are a fruit lover then use this homemade recipe to make a delicious and mouthwatering fruit leather!

To make a fruit leather, you must choose one kind of fruit. Fruits like mango, apricots, and peaches work great! But you can use any other type of fruit. It’s your choice!

Ingredients:

• Fruit (apricots, mangoes, peaches, plums, apples, berries, grapes etc)

• Water

• Lemon Juice

• Sugar

• Cinnamon (optional)

• Nutmeg (optional)

Procedure:

First, choose any type of fruit. Rinse the fruit thoroughly and take out the pits and seeds. Then chop the fruit into small cubes. Make sure you peel the skin of from fruits such as apple or pears. For grapes or cherries, pluck out the stem and mash them to take out the juice.

There is no fixed sugar quantity in this recipe. Sugar content varies according to the fruits you choose. So if you choose a sweet fruit, for example, concord grapes, you don’t have to add any extra sugar. On the other hand, if you chose a fruit that is a bit sour then you have to add sugar. However, you can still add sugar if you have a sweet tooth. So taste the fruit before you proceed and add sugar if necessary.

Put the chopped fruit or fruits in a blender and blend slightly. You can use a potato masher instead. Then put this mashed fruit in a large saucepan. Pour ½ cup of water for every 4 cups of chopped fruit you use. Cover the mixture and heat it for 10-15 minutes or until the fruit seems well cooked. After the dish seems cooked, stir slowly. Throw in sugar and spices if needed. Then pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Lemon juice sharpens the flavor of the fruit. To avoid putting too much sugar, make sure you pour the lemon juice or sugar in small amounts. Continue to boil and stir this mixture until the fruits are completely dissolved and the puree thickens.

If you are working with fruits such as grapes, filter the puree through a food mill or chinoise to remove any extra skins or lumps. You can use a blender instead. However, make sure the mixture is cooled when you use the blender.

Cover a pan with a rimmed baking sheet. Make sure the plastic is thick, sturdy, and also useable in microwaves. Cool the puree and pour it on the lined baking sheet. Make sure your puree is 1/8 to ¼ thick.

Put the baking sheet in the oven. Keep the plastic away from touching the walls inside the oven. Make sure the plastic sheet doesn’t fold back on the puree. If the plastic folds back on the puree then the puree won’t dry. If there is too much plastic on the sides, cut them. After ensuring everything is alright, set the oven to 140 F. To speed up the process, use convection setting if you have it. That will also dry the puree. However, convection setting is not absolutely necessary. Keep the puree in the oven as long as it takes to dry and form fruit leather. It usually takes 8-12 hours to dry. So you can heat the puree overnight. When the fruit leather is non-sticky and has a smooth surface, it’s ready to be served!

If you don’t want to use an oven or if you don’t have one then you can opt for another way. Use a food dehydrator!  Put the pan or tray in a weber grill. Leave the tray covered under the sun all day. This is actually a traditional way to make a fruit leather.

When the fruit is ready (non sticky and smooth), slowly and carefully peel it from the plastic wrap. To store it, put it again in plastic wrap and roll it. You can also cut the fruit leather in small pieces and wrap it up in plastic to make small fruit leather candies!