Fruit Leather: Three Ingredients, One Simple Snack

What’s summertime without snacks? Your kids will love Kristin O’Connor’s tasty take on the classic fruit roll, and you’ll appreciate that fact that they’re made without artificial flavors and food dyes. Just three easy ingredients for a whole lot of fun!

Kids love fruit snacks, but the store-bought varieties aren’t always made with the best stuff. Today’s recipe requires only some fresh fruit, honey and lemon juice — all of which can probably be found at your local farmers’ market. Bring your littles along to help you shop and let them pick out the flavors they want to make. I shared two options below, but the possibilities are truly endless.

HOMEMADE FRUIT LEATHER

Ingredients

Mixed Berry

2 pints fresh organic raspberries

2 pints fresh organic blueberries

2 tablespoons local honey

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Peach-Nectarine

4 organic peaches

4 organic nectarines

1 tablespoon local honey

2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

1. Line two baking sheets with recycled parchment paper and set your oven to 200 degrees.
2. Place all ingredients for the Mixed Berry (raspberries - lemon juice) in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
3. Pour blended fruit into a saucepan and place on the stove over low heat. This blend will need to simmer for 40 minutes
4. Clean out blender and add all ingredients under the Peach-Nectarine (peaches - lemon juice). Blend until completely smooth.
5. Pour blended fruit into a separate sauce pan and place that on the stove as well over low heat. This blend will need to simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
6. Stir both fruit blends occasionally as they simmer on the stove top, the closer they get to being finished, the more they will need to be stirred (because they will thicken significantly).
7. Once fruit blends have reduced by close to half, remove them from the heat and spread onto your lined baking sheets. Use an offset spatula to smooth the mixtures out into even layers. Think about the thickness of a fruit roll up — they should be fairly thin, but not transparent.
8. Place in the pre-heated oven for approximately 3 hours. Remove, let cool and cut into strips!

Honest Tip: Use scissors to cut the strips and roll up with parchment intact so you don’t have a sticky mess when the kids are snacking!

~Kristin O’Connor

Kristin is a published author and private chef focused on encouraging optimal wellness. The Kristin O’Connor brand of gluten-free, eco-friendly products is a true culmination of her passion for health and devotion to philanthropy, bearing a mantra as wholesome and pleasing as her food! For more inspiration, check out her website and Instagram.