Australian Hiker

Apple Fruit Leather

Snack

Recipe

Fruit leather (aka rollups) is essentially just another form of dried fruit however it provides a bit of variety due to the different texture and taste. Unlike making dehydrated fruit where the main choice is ‘do I like it on the soft side or on the crispy side?’, making fruit leather can be a bit more complex.

Making fruit rollups can be a hit or miss process that is very much dependant on the type of fruit used. In the case of apple fruit rollups, it’s a bit more on the fiddly side requiring more work to produce including the need to cook the apples. Having said that, the end result is a very different snack choice to dehydrated apple. It is also higher in calories so depending on how much you like this option, it may be worth considering for your hiking snack choice.

This recipe is designed for a food dehydrator however if you don’t have one then you can use an oven, preferably fan forced at a very low temperature 55°C (see below). Keep an eye on the dehydration process – it is ready when the leather isn’t sticky to touch. If using a dehydrator you may need to turn it over to ensure it is fully dry but I have found that it only really needs around 30 minutes more to finalise the leather. I suggest you start this first thing in the morning to avoid it running overnight because there is the risk of making it a bit too crispy if it stays under heat for too long.

I used seven medium sized red apples that weighed in at 893 grams and produced spot on 100 grams of apple leather. Calorie wise this works out to be pretty dense and a great way of carry apple on the trail.

The facts

7 fresh red apples 893 grams
Cored and peeled 678 grams
100 grams of apple leather once fully dehydrated
Approximate calories per 100 grams of dried apple (see recipe) is 406 calories

Ingredients

6 medium sized fresh red apples (approximately 900 grams-1 kg)
Water 2 cups
1 tablespoon lemon juice (to taste)
1 tablespoon sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon

Preparation

If using a dehydrator

Peel and core approximately 1 kg of red apples
Cut apples into small chunks and add to water in a medium sized pan
Heat the water and apple mix until it boils and simmer on low for 15 minutes
Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg or cinnamon and sugar to taste. Simmer for approximately another 15 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit mix if soft
Use a potato masher to fully pulp the mix
Remove from the stove and put through a blender/food processor to remove any lumps
Spread evenly over the plastic insert on a food dehydrator tray using and dehydrate on a medium temperature (55°C)
Dehydrate for about 10 hours
Turn over and continue drying for a further 30 minutes. The leather is ready when it is no longer tacky
Remove from dehydrator and cut into 20 mm strips and roll up
Store in a cool dry place in an airtight container until use

If using an oven

Cook and mash the apple as above
Place the fruit onto a pizza tray or similar
Place the tray in the middle of an oven set at 55ºC. Use the fan forced setting if available
Dry for approximately 9-10 hours monitoring as you go because every oven is slightly different. The apple leather is ready when it is no longer sticky
Remove from the oven and peel off the plastic and allow to cool slightly
Cut into 20 mm wide strips with a sharp knife
Roll up and store away from sunlight in a cool dry place in a well sealed plastic container
Eat up!