Apple fruit leather

Description

Fruit leather is a great way to preserve gluts of fruit and it makes a naturally sweet and healthy snack.
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Ingredients

At a glance
Seasonal
Summer
Autumn
Makes
a piece about the size of one baking tray
  • 12 medium apples (about 1kg)
  • up to 1/4 cup of sugar
  • a few squeezes of lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

Methods/steps

  1. Core the apples and cut into 1-inch pieces. If you have a food processor you can leave the skins on and blitz the puree later. If you don't have a food processor you probably want to peel the apples.
  2. Cook the apples in a large pot over medium heat. If they are too dry add a little splash of water.
  3. Stir regularly and reduce the heat as needed until the apples have softened into a puree that looks like applesauce. This should take about 30 minutes.
  4. Test the mix and add sugar and lemon juice to taste - adding a bit of each will brighten up the flavour, but adjust the quantities based on the sweetness or tartness of your apples. Then add any spices.
  5. If you left the skins on you can now blitz in a food processor as you want a smooth texture.
  6. Place a piece of baking paper on a baking sheet and spread the mix on top. You want no more than 1/4 inch thickness and you can make it level with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
  7. Cook on a low-heat (about 60C) until the fruit has dried to the texture of beef jerky - about 3-4 hours but it could take longer depending on your oven.
  8. Store by wrapping in the baking paper and keeping in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to a year.

Additional Tips

You can make fruit leather with almost any fruit. Blackberries or currants might need pushing through a sieve to remove the hard seeds or stems, and try combining different fruits - like blackberry and apple or apple and plum.

This recipe was inspired by a Harvest preserving course led by Carol Downie.