Won't turn your tongue blue

Won't turn your tongue any color for that matter.

I know its a little early to be worrying about school lunch snacks and the like - bun bun is only 2. But I saw this post and couldn't resist making a batch of natural fruit roll-ups. They're ridiculously easy to prepare - you just have to find of a big chunk of time to do other things while they dry out in the oven.



This was an impulse recipe, so I went with what I already had, but I have a million flavor combinations brewing in my head for later. The one Green Kitchen Stories suggested - kiwi, mango, and mint leaves - is first on my list, for sure. This time around I threw together a small bag of frozen mangoes, a handful of fresh raspberries, and a single serving size cup of unsweetened granny smith applesauce.

I heated the mixture on low and stirred until the mangoes were thawed and getting slightly smushy, and then I ran the whole mix through the food processor. I chose not to sieve the mix, as we don't mind seeds in our snackies. Then, on a baking sheet lined with a silpat, I spread the purée thinly and evenly, smoothing out any thicker parts. The lowest temperature my oven goes is 175°F, which worked out just fine with the oven door propped open. It took a little over 5 hours for my roll-ups to dehydrate completely. I cut the sheet into strips with scissors, rolled up, and nom nom nommed. To my surprise they taste just like the real thing, only a little seedier! Bun bun loves them too.



A few tips:

You can do this with whatever fruit choices you like - just aim for a consistency that is pourable, but thick enough that it doesn't run out to the edges of the pan when you try to spread it. Mixing thicker fruits, like bananas, with juice or softer fruits, like papaya or berries, is a good way to go.

Keep the color in mind when you're dreaming up flavor ideas. As good as strawberry kiwi might taste, I don't know how attractive a brown fruit roll would be! ^_^

Spreading evenly before baking is very important - if the thinner parts become too dry while you wait for the wetter parts to cook they will become brittle, and then burn. Watch it closely towards the end.

Leaving the oven door open helps to let the moisture out and speed things along, but you're still looking at a 5-8 hour baking time, depending on how thick your mix was. It's worth it though - you really don't need to babysit it much, and you can keep the finished product in an airtight container for a week or two, maybe more... mine just won't last that long with hungry tummies around!

Happy snacking!

xoxo

me