Apple Leather - Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

     Fruit leathers are a healthy snack that can easily be packed into lunch boxes and back packs, or eaten at home.  As the Autumn apple season winds down, it is a perfect time to purchase the utility size bags at a local orchard to make apple leather. Creating fruit leather is a two part process: first, cook apples down into an apple sauce, then dehydrate the sauce into a "sheet" of fruit, similar to a fruit roll-up.
     There is no need to add sugar when creating the apple sauce because the apples become very sweet when water is extracted in the dehydrator.  Any apples you'd use to make apple sauce can be used to create leather. 

     The following ratio of ingredients works well: 

10 apples (peeled and chopped)

juice of one lemon

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1.  Mix the ingredients in a pan and cook over medium heat until the most of the apples break down (approximately 45 minutes).  
2. Spread the sauce on a slightly oiled leather sheet (or plastic wrap) 1/4" thick (somewhat thinner in the middle and thicker at the edges).  
3. Dehydrate it for 8 - 12 hours until the texture is "leathery" and there are no moist areas.  
4. The leather can then be cut into pieces or rolled up.  Separate with  wax paper and store in large canning jars.

     Apple leathers can be used as easy-to-pack snacks; broken into smaller pieces and added to granola, cookie dough, or trail mix; or re-hydrated by placing in boiling water to use as a side dish for pork. 

   Preparing apple leathers extends the apple season throughout the winter months, supports local farmers, and supplies readily available, healthy snacks for your family.