Fruit Rollups

I didn't take a single picture. I'm sorry. Even Seth asked if I was documenting it. I guess I expected this recipe to fail. Most would call these "fruit leathers", and that title brings to mind a semi sweet "snack" that a weird pine cone eater family would eat. I didn't really think we'd like them. So I didn't take pictures. It was just my whim of the day. I had 3 lbs of frozen strawberries and an entire day at home, so I made them. What resulted was a new addiction. For all 5 of us. These were better than good. Tremendous. And guilt free. Planning my 1/2 acre strawberry patch in the very back of our property so I can make these every week. :)

You will need:

3 lbs fresh or frozen berries.
2 T lemon juice
1/2 C honey
1 C applesauce

Dump the lemon juice and the berries in a pot over medium heat. Cook, while stirring, until the fruit is completely soft. Pass the fruit through a food mill or sieve to remove skins (if doing blueberries) and/or seeds (for strawberries).  I didn't do this part because quite frankly I didn't want to have to wash my sieve. Lazy bones. So we spent 2 days picking strawberry seeds out of our teeth. :)

Add the honey and applesauce and stir thoroughly.

Line baking sheets or large pans with parchment paper and pour the puree onto them. The thinner your layer is the quicker it will dehydrate. Mine were a little thinner than a store-bought fruit rollup.

Set your oven at its lowest possible temperature (165 is ideal) for 12 - 20 hours or until dry (but somewhat sticky to the touch).

Take out of the oven, cut into strips, roll them up, and snack away! :)

This recipe came from Alana Chernila's book "The Homemade Pantry".


The next time I do it I'll make a double batch. We went through them too quickly and I would've loved to have some to store. Also, I would leave my oven door open the entire time. The recipe doesn't call for it, but you need somewhere for the moisture to escape while they are drying in the heat. I kept my door closed for about 10 hours and they weren't any drier than when I first put them in there. Mr. Wonderful suggested opening the door and they were done within 2 hours :)

They were OHHHHHHH so good. Very sweet and sticky and not at all pine cone eater-ish. :)