I’m a fruit snack fanatic. Nothing sounds like a better study-time snack than a mouthful of gooey, chewy gummies. Unfortunately, fruit snacks, anything from fruit roll-ups to fruit leather to even fruit gushers, aren’t exactly fruit.
A look at the ingredients in Welch’s Fruit Snacks reveals that they aren’t much more than cleverly disguised candy. The difference between the list of ingredients that should be in fruit snacks (hint, hint – the actual fruit) and that lengthy list of acids, artificial colors and various forms of added sugar in Welch’s is actually disgusting.
But believe it or not, it’s incredibly easy to make your own fruit leather. It takes a few hours to dry out in the oven, but it gives you time to relax, maybe do some homework and you have a nice treat to look forward to when you’re finished. The best part is that you know your snacks will be 100% fruit and will contain none of those mystery ingredients.
You can use any combination of fruits for this recipe. I made apple cinnamon fruit leather, but mangoes, blackberries and apricots are also great flavor options. Keep in mind that certain fruits might require more or less time to cook.
DIY Fruit Roll Ups: Because the Ones You Buy Aren’t Fruit
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Peel and chop 4 apples.
- Place apples in a pot with ½ cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft. You may need to add more water to keep the apples from burning.
- Add cinnamon to taste. Remove from heat.
- Put the apples in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Spread the applesauce onto the parchment paper. Use a spatula to make it as thin and even as possible. Bake for 2-4 hours (the time depends on your oven and the thickness of the leather). Check the leather every hour or so. You may need to flip it over if the bottom gets soggy.
- When the leather is no longer soft, it’s done. Cut it into strips and roll each strip in wax paper. These will save for a few days in the fridge.