If you have plenty of fruit on your hands, fruit leather is a wonderful way to preserve it. I use strawberry here, but you can use rehydrate any dried fruit and use it as well. A healthy snack for lunches, at home, and on the go!
A chewy, naturally gluten free strawberry fruit roll up recipe perfect for school or even work lunches or snacks.
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of fresh or defrosted frozen strawberries
- Your choice of sweetener: 1/3 cup honey* or agave (or birch derived xyltiol, to taste)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
- Pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 170ºF (200ºF if that's the lowest yours goes). Alternatively, you may use a food dehydrator.
- Puree the strawberries, sweetener, juice, and salt in a food processor or blender until smooth. Add water as needed until it just becomes spreadable but not runny. (Frozen strawberries don't usually need any added water.)
- Line two rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Spread and distribute the mixture evenly between the prepared baking sheets.
- Place on the center shelf of the oven and cook until no longer sticky, 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours.
- Remove from the oven; pick up using the parchment paper or silicone mat and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cut into strips, transfer to clean parchment paper, spacing at least 1/2-inch apart. Using kitchen scissors, cut the paper in the middle, between each strip of fruit roll up. Store in an airtight container or zipper storage bags or serve immediately. You can also freeze them for about 2 months.
Tips
Variations:
Replace up to one-third of the fruit with cooked and cooled beets; puree with fruit.
Use dried fruit such as dates, apricots, cherries, etc. by boiling them. Once rehydrated, drain and discard the water. Then, follow the above instructions above.
*Honey is not vegan.
If you choose to add any additional juice or liquid sweetener, you will need to lengthen the bake time.