Fruit Leather Fun: Make your own

Homemade fruit leather is easy to make.  Puree fruit and dry it!  That's it!!  I love being able to use our over ripened fruit for this so that we don't have to throw it away.  The texture, nutritional value, and ease of the homemade leathers makes it well worth the time.  

Step 1:  Select your fruit and wash it thoroughly.  

Step 2:  Peel, if you want.  I like to keep the skins on for fiber and nutritional value.  Chop into pieces.

Step 3:  Put fruit pieces in a blender and puree until smooth.  Add a little lemon juice and sugar (if desired).  You may gently cook the mixture in a saucepan to dissolve the sugar.

Step 4:  Pour the puree THINLY onto a fruit dryer rack or onto a rimmed baking sheet that has Silpat silicone sheets underneath.  You may also put plastic wrap underneath if you don't have silicone sheets.

Step 5:   I use the Excalibur Food Dehydrator.  Here is a picture of it.  It is a workhorse for drying everything from apples to beef jerky.  I love mine and use it all of the time, but if you can't buy one, no worries.  Put the fruit leather into an oven at 140 degrees and bake until it is completely dried.  If you are using a dehydrator, follow the directions for your particular dryer.