Yummy Fruit Leather

Summer is almost here and soon fresh berries will be everywhere so I wanted to share a recipe a friend gave me for homemade fruit leather. I have made three batches in the last week now and the last of the third is almost gone. My family loves it so I hope to stock up on berries all summer long.

Ingredients needed:

4 cups applesauce
4 tablespoons jam/jelly
2 cups berries of your choice
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (optional)
2 cookie sheets
Plastic wrap

First off preheat your oven to 175 degrees. Next add the above ingredients into your blender until they come out to a smooth texture. Line your cookie sheets with one layer of plastic wrap. If the plastic wrap seems to move around you can put a few drops of water under it to help hold it in place. Pour half of the fruit mixture on each pan. Try get the mixture in a even layer, watching out for the corners since they seem to collect more than the middle. Then, bake away.....
















All ovens vary so for your first few batches you might want to check up on the fruit leather every 30 minutes or so. To speed things up a little you can open your oven door just a little bit to vent out the moisture. When the fruit leather is barely sticky it is finished. I pulled mine out of the oven and tried a small bite to make sure it was finished the first time I made it. The batches I have made have taken about 6 hours. If the layers are thick they will take longer. The time needed will also vary depending on what fruit you use. This does not have to be a seasonal treat either frozen berries work just as well as fresh. I used some freeze dried strawberries in my last batch and they worked out great too.
















To store the fruit leather I simply cut the fruit leather into 2 inch by 4 inch pieces with my pizza cutter and place them in a plastic container without a lid . If somehow your fruit leather lasts for more than a few days you will want to use a lid to prevent it from getting to tough. Feel free to get creative with this recipe there are so many varieties you can make! With help from my mom I am hoping to make homemade applesauce this summer so I am able to make fruit leather all year round.