- Image by massdistraction via Flickr
Kids love fruit roll-ups from the store, but you can make them easily at home. What better time to make apple roll-ups than when this fruit is at its peak?
Apple Roll-Ups
6-8 apples
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
about 2 tablespoons honey
Wash, peel, core and cut-up apples. Add water to apples in saucepan.
Cook over low heat just as you would for applesauce. Cook until apples are soft and break-up easily. Stir occasionally. Do not let apples scorch!
Put in blender or food processor and blend or process until apples are quite smooth.
Mix in about 1 tablespoon honey per cup of applesauce, depending on tartness of apples.
Add more water if apple mixture is too thick to spread evenly.
Cover bottom of cookie sheet pan with plastic wrap.
Spread apple mixture thinly over plastic wrap in pan. May need to use more than one pan.
Put in 150° F oven with the door slightly open. Leave in oven for 12 hours, or until apples are almost dry, but still pliable.
When mixture cools enough to handle, roll up, as with a jelly roll, starting from wide end.
Store in plastic wrap until ready to use. Then slice each roll into bite-sized pieces.
Note: can use dehydrator for drying apples. Lightly grease trays and spread puree evenly and thinly onto trays. Set temperature at 130-140° F. Dry until fruit feels dry and pliable with no sticky spots.
Any applesauce that is leftover can be spread out on a cookie sheet and dried in this manner for a taste treat just like the store-bought varieties. Add nuts for a nutty-fruity roll.
Enjoy apples – ‘tis the season!
Lee Jackson
Author of From the Apple Orchard – Recipes for Apple Lovers
Apples, Apples Everywhere – Favorite Recipes From America’s Orchards
and Littlest Christmas Kitten
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