How to Make Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups – Pumpkin Pie Fruit Leather
Here’s a delicious pumpkin pie fruit leather or fruit roll-ups as the kids like to say. We love using homemade pumpkin puree and applesauce for these, but you can also use commercial pumpkin puree or applesauce
Also Read:Â Pumpkin Puree, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars, and Pumpkin Spice Latte.
Of course, you could also use some sweet winter squash instead of pumpkin – kabocha, butternut or buttercup, are drier, more flavorful and sweeter than the big pumpkins you get at Halloween. This pumpkin pie fruit leather recipe is a mix of pumpkin puree, apple sauce, honey and pie spices. It’s pretty darn tasty.
Pumpkin & Apple Pie Fruit Leather Recipe
Pumpkin and Apple Pie Fruit Leather
Ingredients
- 2 cups pumpkin puree plain
- 4 cups applesauce unsweetened
- 1 to 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 to 1 tsp pie spice or use cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
Instructions
- If using frozen pumpkin puree or applesauce, thaw and drain excess liquid using a fine mesh sieve.
- In a large bowl, blend together pumpkin and apple puree.
- Add the lowest amount of honey and spice.
- Taste and adjust sweetness and pie spice to your preferences as all apples and pumpkins will vary in sweetness and flavor. Remember, the water will evaporate so the flavors will intensify. If it tastes sweet now, it will taste sweeter when dried.
- Pour mix onto a paraflex or parchment paper (not wax paper!) lined dehydrator tray. Use an offset spatula or rubber spatula to evenly spread mix from one corner to the other about 1/4 inch thick. Get it as smooth and even as possible.
- Place in dehydrator and dry at 135°F or 57°C for 8-10 hours (even longer in humid conditions).
- For oven dehydrating, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Turn oven to lowest setting and leave the door slightly open for air circulation and to allow the moisture to escape. You may have to turn your oven on and off to regulate the temperature to keep the temperature around 150°F (66°C). Drying time will vary from 8-10 hours or even longer in humid conditions.
- To test for doneness, press the leather with flat fingers.
- If your hand leaves an indentation, it is not ready.
- If the leather feels moist or sticky, it is not ready. It will be slightly tacky from the honey, but it should not feel wet at all.
- If it pulls off the parchment paper easily, it is done. If parts stick, to the sheet, it is not done.
- Look for color variations, wet spots may be much lighter or much darker in color.
- If it is dry and brittle, it is too dry – but it makes a nice crunchy snack! You can soften it by placing your leather in a container with a moist paper towel.
Video
Notes
Yield 3 sheets or 24-30 6″ rolls
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
3 Tips for making fruit leather
1. How to Cut Your Pumpkin Pie Fruit Leather?
When your fruit leather is done to perfection, remove the sheet from the tray and roll up the entire sheet of fruit leather.
Then slice the roll in 1 to 2 inch pieces. That’s it!
2. How to Check My Pumpkin Pie Fruit Leather is Dry?
Look, feel and taste – those are the key steps in determining if your leather is sufficiently dry. Actually, the tasting is strictly for your pleasure and a small reward for your hard work! Finished fruit leather may feel a little tacky because of the honey, but it should not be sticky or wet. It should also have a consistent translucent look.
For more details check out my post and video on checking for dryness.
3. What if My Pumpkin Pie Fruit Leather is Too Dry?
It can happen – you turn your back for an hour or more and boom, your fruit leather is too dry. Is this a problem? For storage, not at all. For eating – yes. Dry, brittle fruit leather is not as fun to eat as chewy leather.
But no problem – either you can turn your too dry leather into powdered fruit – just put it in a coffee grinder or you can soften it up again.
To re-hydrate your leather just enough, follow the tips in this article on My Fruit Leather is Too Dry.Â
I’d love to see your fruit leather creation.  Leave a comment or take a photo and tag @getgettys so I can see it and like it!
More Squash & Pumpkin Inspiration
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