Cinnamon Vanilla Peach Fruit LeatherNouveau Raw

Cinnamon Vanilla Peach Fruit Leather

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! These came out so good. I am a lover of cinnamon, vanilla and peach and I couldn’t wait to put them all together in this fruit leather. During the dehydration process, the ingredients really meld together and offer a trio of melody on the tongue. I never had the pleasure of growing up on those fruit roll-ups that had artificial flavoring, red dye #5, sugar and fructose syrup and for that I am grateful. Today, I get to savor the delicate tastes of peach, the warming sensation of cinnamon and the earthy flavor of vanilla, all rolled (pun intended) into one wonderful treat. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

yields 2 cups of puree

3 cups chopped peaches
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (alcohol free)
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Select RIPE or slightly overripe peaches that have reached a peak in color, texture, and flavor.
Prepare the peaches; wash, dry, remove stems, and stones.
Puree the fruit, maple syrup, vanilla and cinnamon in the blender or food processor until smooth. Taste and sweeten more if needed. Keep in mind that flavors will intensify as they dehydrate. When adding a sweetener do so a little at a time, and reblend, tasting until it is at the desired taste. It is best to use a liquid type sweetener. Don’t use a granulated sugar because it tends to change the texture of the finished fruit leather.
Spread the fruit puree on teflex sheets that come with your dehydrator. Pour the puree to create an even depth of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. If you don’t have teflex sheets for the trays, you can line your trays with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Do not use wax paper or aluminum foil.
- Lightly coat the food dehydrator plastic sheets or wrap with a cooking spray, I use coconut oil that comes in a spray.
- When spreading the puree on the liner, allow about an inch of space between the mixture and the outside edge. The fruit leather mixture will spread out as it dries, so it needs a little room to allow for this expansion.
- Be sure to spread the puree evenly on your drying tray. When spreading the puree mixture, try tilting and shaking the tray to help it distribute more evenly. Also, it is a good idea to rotate your trays throughout the drying period. This will help assure that the leathers dry evenly.
Dehydrate the fruit leather at 105 degrees (F) for about 16 (+/-) hours. Finished consistency should be pliable and easy to roll.
- Check for dark spots on top of the fruit leather. If dark spots can be seen it is a sign that the fruit leather is not completely dry.
- Press down on the fruit leather with a finger. If no indentation is visible or if the fruit leather is no longer tacky to the touch, the fruit leather is dry and can be removed from the dehydrator.
- Peel the leather from the dehydrator trays or parchment paper. If the fruit leather peels away easily and holds its shape after peeling, it is dry. If the fruit leather is still sticking or loses its shape after peeling, it needs further drying.
- Under-dried fruit leather will not keep; it will mold. Over-dried fruit leather will become hard and crack, although it will still be edible and will keep for a long time
Storage: to store the finished fruit leather…
- Allow the leather to cool before wrapping up to avoid moisture from forming, thus giving it a breeding ground for molds.
- Roll them up and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place in an air-tight container, and store in a dry, dark place. (Light will cause the fruit leather to discolor.)
- The fruit leather will keep at room temperature for one month, or in a freezer for up to one year.

Above photos – lay out a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter top, place your leather on top, fold over the side and bottom pieces as seen in the top photo. Now start to roll nice and tight till you reach the end. This will prevent the leather from sticking to itself.

Once you have the leather all wrapped in plastic wrap you can cut it to size. I cut mine in 1″ rolls, which make the perfect snack size. We are just about done, but I wanted to take it one step further to add a little “love” to them…

I made labels on my computer. The top print is a special note that the person will read as they unroll the wrap. You can make them with general sayings or personalize them for gift giving. These are for my husband so I wanted to share my love with him. The bottom line is the name of the fruit leather.

I then folded them in half-length wise as shown above. This puts the private message on the inside of the label.

And there you have it. Special bundles of joy! These would make wonderful treats to put in your child’s lunch box or backpack and you could leave sweet little messages inside of them…