Origins Farm: Natural Cinnamon Apple Fruit Leather

It's apple season! We couldn't wait to share today's recipe for simple, natural fruit leather, using the fresh local apples sourced from Origins Farm. Fruit leather is such an easy (and delicious) way to preserve the bounty and flavor of ripening seasonal fruit. It's a healthy snack for little and big kids alike and when made naturally, can even be a special treat for your favorite four legged friends.

As soon as we saw the fresh fall apples at the Origins Farm market stand, we knew fruit leather would be among the apple recipes making their way into our kitchen this week:

There are several different methods for making fruit leather; today we're sharing our tried and true process for making it in most any oven, no need for a food dehydrator.


We've used this method to make apple raspberry and peach raspberry fruit rollups in past seasons and always come back to it when we find ourselves with an abundance of ripening fruit on our hands.

Ingredients:

• 8 cups of peeled and cubed apples (Origins Farm)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 fresh lemon

Peel, core and roughly dice apples. Choose apples with the same tartness or sweetness you like to eat, as the same flavors will burst through in your fruit leather.

While you're peeling those apples, set the peels and cores aside to make some homemade apple vinegar:

Combine cubed apple slices and water in a large bot, bringing to a boil, then simmering until the apples are soft and tender, about 10 minutes:

Squeeze in lemon juice and sprinkle cinnamon over apples generously, then pulse in a blender or food processor until you have a smooth and even puree. Our immersion blender worked fantastically straight in the pot. Taste mixture at this point — if it's a bit tart for your tastes, add in a sweetener like natural sugar or honey. If too sweet, squeeze in a little more lemon juice. 

You'll now have what looks and smells like really delicious cinnamon applesauce. It might be tempting to just stop here and devour it, but keep going — it's worth it! 

Pour puree gently onto parchment-lined baking sheets and spread into a thin, even layer:

Place on the top rack in your oven on the lowest setting, between 140 and 170 degrees until leather has dried and isn't sticking to your fingers when touching, about 4-8 hours or longer, depending on heat setting and thickness of your fruit layer. We like to remove ours from the oven and let it sit overnight before cutting and peeling.

 Cut excess edges of parchment paper and make a large log roll from the fruit leather sheet:

Using a sharp knife or scissors, cut roll into individual portion sized pieces:

Securing with baker's twine adds a functional and festive twist:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. When ready to eat, just unwrap and peel the fruit leather from the parchment — it's that easy:

These little fruit rollups make for such a fun fall snack, bursting with all the flavors of the season. Make the recipe your own by incorporating additional fruits you have on hand or added spices — you really can't go wrong. If you're in RVA, be sure to check out Origins Farm at your local market and pick up a basket full of apples to cook with this autumn.

Discover More:

                                                     Origins Farm Recipes | All Recipes

Produce for this recipe was supplied on behalf of Origins Farm, whose mission we adore. Learn more about the farm, the people behind it and how excited we are about our relationship with them here.