Strawberry Fruit Leather

This recipe falls in to the category of “things I want to make at home just to see if I can.”  The Littlest Apple likes fruit roll-ups and all of those other junky dye-filled “fruit” products.  In an effort to cut back the junk and dyes I’m feeding him (while still giving him lots of calories…it’s a tough balance), I decided to attempt this recipe at home.  It’s time consuming and a little labor intensive, but I was so proud of the final product (though I’m lacking a photo of the final product).  It was really cool to be able to say “I did it!  I MADE these!”  The Littlest Apple never touched them though…they didn’t come in a wrapper with tie-dye colors.  What a shame.  They were SUPER delicious!

Strawberry Fruit Leather

recipe from Fly Through My Window

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs of strawberries, cleaned, stemmed and chopped
• 2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup of sugar (optional)

Blend strawberries and applesauce in blender until smooth (Picky Apple note: I had to do this in batches).  Add to a heavy saucepan and add sugar if needed or desired, bringing to a boil while stirring constantly.  Reduce heat and skim foam from the top with a spoon.  Simmer over low/medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes (Picky Apple note: mine took twice as long, but maybe I didn’t have the temperature high enough), stirring frequently, continue simmering/stirring until mixture has properly reduced to the consistency of thick applesauce (when running a rubber spatula across the bottom of the pan the mixture should stay separated-pan should still be visible once you reach the other side).  Pour mixture onto a parchment or heat-safe plastic wrapped cookie sheet, spread evenly and bake at 145 for 8 to 10 hours.  (Picky Apple note: My oven’s lowest setting is 170, and I still cooked mine for close to 11 hours).  Cut into strips and roll up…or roll up and cut into strips!  They will keep in the fridge for up to a couple weeks.