Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

I was recently told by a parent of little ones that their kids love fruit roll-ups.  They often have a few a day because they consider them to be "healthy," unlike chips, cookies or candy.  I even think I saw them on the preschool "healthy snack list." Have you ever had the opportunity to look at the ingredients of fruit roll-ups?  You know the ones with the {ick} tongue tattoos? Check this out:

Strawberry Ingredients: Pears From Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acetylated Mono And Diglycerides, Pectin, Malic Acid, Natural Flavor, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Color (Red 40, Yellows 5 % 6, Blue 1). Berry Berry Cool Ingredients: Pears From Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acetylated Mono And Diglycerides, Pectin, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1).

As a disclaimer, I did not buy a box to find the ingredients. They were listed on the Wal-Mart website.  The funny thing is, homemade fruit roll-ups are so incredibly easy to make as a treat for your family.  They stay fresh a long time in an air-tight container.  They typically don't last too long in my house so that isn't an issue around here.

On a recent trip to a local farm, we picked quite a few strawberries. You can make fruit roll-ups with almost any type of fruit.   I washed and removed the stems of approximately 2 pounds of berries. Add them to your blender, food processor, or my personal favorite, a Vitamix.  I added about 3 teaspoons of homemade vanilla.  I think it sweetens the fruit leather up a bit without having to add sugar.  If you are using bottled vanilla, make sure it is pure vanilla extract.  Never use imitation vanilla. 

Smooth a thinnish layer of the puree on your dehydrator sheet making sure to use the non-stick dehydrator sheets or the plastic fruit leather sheets that come with your dehydrator .  You can also use parchment paper.

 If drying in your oven, put parchment paper on a cookie sheet or bar pan. Bake at your oven's lowest temperature, typically 170 degrees for 4 + hours (sometimes up to 12 hours).  You know when it is done if you can peel it off the parchment paper in one piece and it is no longer sticky.  The length of baking time will depend on how thick the puree is and your oven's temperature. Check it every so often.

I set the dehydrator temperature to 135 degrees to dry for about 4-6 hours.  Check on it after 4 hours.  Again, the time will depend on how thin your puree spread is.

When the leather is done, peel it off and place it on two sheets of plastic wrap, placed side by side.  If you are using parchment paper, you can probably just leave it on there, roll it, and cut it.

Roll up your leather, cut off excess plastic wrap, and cut into individual pieces.

Could it get any easier??  If my kids want these healthy treats every day, I think I will let them!

Enjoy!

What are you doing with your local strawberries this season?  Feel free to leave your recipes and strawberry links in the comments!

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This post is linked to GNOWFGLINS Strawberries: Seasonal Recipe Round-up and Life As Mom's Make the Most of Summer Produce Ulitmate Recipe Swap!