Today’s post from Rachel just screams back to school to me. Fruit roll ups were one of the few “normal” kid snacks my mom actually bought for us. I might’ve been that kid with whole wheat sandwiches, fruit as “dessert” and carrot sticks on the side but occasionally, I did get fruit roll ups. Those were the days I didn’t have to hide my totally uncool lunch from friends and sit in the corner. Ok, slight exaggeration but carrot sticks were embarrassing. Seriously.
Rachel is a mom of three and her oldest just started kindergarten this year. With snacks like this coming out of her kitchen, I’m betting her kid is not the loser in the corner.
Happy snacking!
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Hi! I’m Rachel of Baked by Rachel. I’m happy to be here filling in for Gina while she’s away. Though to be completely honest, I’d rather be away on vacation too! When she mentioned her trip, I told her I wanted to hide in her suitcase. Maybe if I’m really nice she’ll bring me back a pair of stylish boots or a cute bag. A girl can dream, right?
So while she’s away… I really wanted to play and be naughty. I was *this* close to turning her online home into a greasy mess, full of fried amazingness. (Gina’s note: between this bbq mango tofu and this, I’m starting to feel like you all think I’m a health freak!) It’s like how the moment I leave the room, my kids are drawn to my phone and computer…things they know they’re not supposed to mess with.
Instead, I made something healthy — strawberry banana fruit leather. Maybe Gina is rubbing off on me? I even just started working out again. Something is seriously wrong with me.
This is my third fruit leather to date and I can pretty much guarantee that there will be many more varieties to come. It all started off with tart cherry fruit leather which was probably a shock to Gina since I admitted to having never eaten or cooked with cherries prior to this summer.
I know! Forgive me.
But that led me to an even more amazing and totally out of this world apple variety. Seriously. Incredible. I wanted to hog it all to myself and not share a single bite with my kids.
But okay… one day my bananas were going bad. It happens and sometimes way faster than I’d like. I also had strawberries on the brink of death. It was meant to be.
It required practically zero thinking. Fruit leather was a must. A quick save. The only change I’d make in the future is to add more strawberries and maybe strain out the seeds, but that’s not totally necessary. This tastes more like banana strawberry than strawberry banana but they’re both present. So long as you like bananas… and of course strawberries, you’ll love this.
This recipe is made in the oven but if you have a dehydrator you can use it for this and all sorts of other great snacks.
It’s simple to put together and make, requires little effort and best of all… it’s pretty healthy! A perfect snack or an addition to either your kids or your own lunch!
Craving a peach variety? Try this fruit leather recipe and see which flavor is your favorite.
Strawberry Banana Fruit Leather
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped in half
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 bananas
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook strawberries, sugar and water until mixture is bubbly and strawberries are very soft.
- Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor, along with bananas.
- Blend until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Divide mixture between pans. Use an angled spatula to smooth out as best you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect but the more even the mixture, the better.
- Place in oven for roughly 3 hours. Time will vary depending on the thickness. After each hour, rotate pans 180 degrees and switch racks.
- Leather should be slightly tacky when done, but not sticky or wet at all.
- Transfer to a cutting board, to cut into desired strips. Wrap in wax or parchment paper and store in an airtight container.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Is the 1/3 cup of sugar necessary? For me strawberries and bananas are really sweet by themselves, and if the sugar is only use for sweetness and not thickness and won’t affect the way it cooks, then I don’t want to use it unnecessarily.
To be honest, I’m not totally sure because this was a guest post by someone on my site quite awhile ago. I’ve made fruit leather outside of this recipe and not added sugar so I think you’d be fine to either reduce it or just not add altogether.
I’m dying to make these. I have a blend of fruits (Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas), do you think the combo will be good in the leather?
I was just wondering how long these last. I was thinking of making them for my sister-in-law going off to college.
If you get some potassium sorbate, or Potasium Metabisulfite (used in making wine) or some citric or ascorbic acid and add as directed on the package they could last 6 months at room temp easy. If you didn’t add anything it would really depend on how they were stored. in a ziploc bag — 2weeks, in an airtight container 3 weeks. If you save those moisture controls things they put in pills and jerky they could last 6 months again. Moisture and Oxygen are your major things to fight off with dried fruit.
I’m going to give this fruit leather a go, have been fancying it for a while.
Love this!!! I have to try it!
I’d pack this in my lunch for sure. I love seeing simple recipes for some of my favorites :)
Gorgeous as always Rachel! And such a great way to use up fruit. Any thoughts on how long the fruit leather would keep?
It never lasts long around here (aka we gobble it up) but I’ve read it can last a decent time – up to a month or more at room temp and possibly up to a year when frozen. I don’t personally have a definite tried and true answer though.
I wouldn’t add sugar to this fruit leather, the banana will make it sweet enough for our family’s tastes. When I make fruit leather, I roll it up in plastic wrap, then throw all the rolls into a ziploc freezer bag and put in the freezer. It will last forever (or as long as you need it to) and is perfect when you take it out. Freezing fruit leather or dried fruit is a great way to preserve these items especially when they may not be 100% dry…prevents mold or decay.
looks amazing! have always wanted to make our own fruit leather!