Ever since I introduced him to the Bear Nibbles Paw series about 6 months ago, his eyes will light up whenever he sees a packet and will wolf the whole lot in 1min flat!
It's 100% natural fruit baked into paw shapes with no added sugar so it's an ideal snack for toddlers on the go but sadly they don't have it here in Mauritius and I always need to get his grandparents to send them as special treats for him...
So I attempted to making some fruit rollups which are very similar to them.
The good thing about homemade fruit roll-ups is that they have no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and it's just 100% fruit and sweetened to your taste.
I remember I used to LOVE these when I was a kid and I thought why not try making some for Leo!
I think you can pretty much use any fruit and fruit combination which I find is the great thing about this recipe!
So far I've only made these twice (strawberry, peach, nectarine / pear, peach, nectarine)
HOMEMADE FRUIT ROLL-UPS
Ingredients:
Any ripe fruit (4 cups of chopped fruit)
Sweetener for taste: granulated sugar, honey, maple syrup etc (I used granulated sugar)
Lemon juice (1 teaspoon)
Water for simmering fruits
The below is a general guideline and the amount of sweetener, lemon juice, water, cooking time will vary depending on the fruits being used.
Prepare your fruit:
Wash your fruits thoroughly, de-seed, peel, core them and then roughly chop them.
Simmer:
Cook the fruit in a saucepan with some water. (I put about half a cup for my 4 cups of fruit and it was just right) Bring to a simmer and close lid and let it cook on a low heat for 10-15minutes or until the fruits have softened.
Mash the fruits:
Mash the fruits as much as you can and have a taste to see if you need to sweeten it.
Sweeten:
If your fruit is naturally sweet or very ripe then you probably don't need to add anything. You can use granulated sugar, honey, maple syrup etc (I used granulated sugar) I added about 1 tablespoon of sugar to the 4 cups of fruit)
Add some lemon juice to stop the fruit from browning and it will also help to 'brighten' the flavour.
Tip -
The flavours and sweetness will intensify when it dries so don't overdo on the sugar.
Line Pans:
You can line your pans with plastic wrap but make sure they are microwave safe as you don't want to risk the plastic melting whilst baking.
Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and smooth out as much wrinkles and folds.
You can alternatively use a silicone mat but try avoid using foil as it seems to stick to this. I haven't tried parchment/baking sheets but these may work also...
Puree:
Once the fruits have simmered and softened, pop into a food processor and make it into a nice smooth paste.
Taste the puree and add more sweetener if needed.
You need the mixture to be a consistency that can be poured but thick enough to stay put on the baking pan so add water if needed.
Spread Puree:
Pour the mixture onto the plastic wrap and gently spread the mixture evenly with a spatula. It should be about 3-5mm thick (the puree will thin during the drying process)
The puree should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to stay put.
Bake: Be prepared to cook for a very long time!
Set the oven to the lowest temperature setting (mine is 60 degrees celsius) and leave it to cook for about 8hrs (sometimes less sometimes more depending on the type of fruit, thickness etc)
You can also do it the old traditional way of leaving it outside in the sun or with a food dehydrator.
Leave it to bake slowly in the oven and you can test it now and then by touching the surface. It should not stick or indent when ready.
Tip - If you notice that the edges are getting drier than the centre, you can brush with some water to rehydrate it.
Remove:
Peel it off when it is still slightly warm and it should peel off easily.
Roll:
You can roll it back up in the plastic wrap or line your fruit rolls ups with parchment paper.
I chose to just roll them up without anything as mine were mini bite size pieces.
Cut them into strips with either a sharp knife or a good pair of scissors.
Store:
You can store these in an airtight container and have read that they should keep for about a month. But here in Mauritius, it's probably best to store them in the fridge and take out a little before eating to return them back to room temperature.
They make yummy little treats that both kids and adults can enjoy.
I can't wait for the mango season to kick in in Mauritius!
Would love to hear what fruit combinations you guys have done.
Happy Baking!!!
xxx
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