Peachy Pumpkin Craisin Fruit Leather (raw, vegan, nut-free)

Peachy Pumpkin Craisin Fruit Leather

~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free ~

I was inspired to make this fruit leather as I opened my pantry and peered into my tea drawer.

Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea sounded warm and inviting so I made myself a nice mug of it, that is when the light bulb went off! This tea is a perfect balance of all your favorite holiday spices including pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

Infused Fruit Leather

So why not make a fruit leather infused with this tasty tea?! I couldn’t find a reason not to so I dove right in. I didn’t use steeped tea, I literally opened the tea bags and dumped the contents right into my fruit leather puree. It turned out perfect. I hope you give it a try.

My husband and I shared a bag full of these leathers with two excavators who are doing some driveway work for us. They have been working here for the past few days, and my husband keeps them fueled with the pear fruit leathers, but yesterday we opened the freezer and gave them a choice.

They said they just had to see what Peach Pumpkin Craisin Fruit Leather tasted like. So we sent them home with a baggie filled with them.

The next morning they returned to do some more work, and they reported that they LOVED the fruit leather. They ate it all! They said that they would have never thought that pumpkin and pear would have gone together but it did.

Ingredients:

yields 5 cups puree

5 cups sliced peaches
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 Tbsp chia seeds, ground
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 bag Pumpkin Spice chai tea
1/8 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 /2 cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

Select RIPE or slightly overripe peaches that have reached a peak in color, texture, and flavor.
Prepare the peaches; wash, dry, and remove stones.
Pumpkin puree – you can blend your own with fresh sugar pumpkins, or you can use canned organic puree.
Puree the peaches, pumpkin puree, chia seeds, vanilla, tea contents, and salt, 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 1 tbsp 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 granulated sugar because it tends to change the texture.
Add the craisins and blend for 40 seconds,
Allow the puree to rest for at least 10 minutes to give the chia time to work its thickening magic.
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 145 degrees (F) for 1 hour, reduce temp to 115 degrees (F) and continue drying for about 16 (+/-) hours. The 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 it 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 it peels away easily and holds its shape after peeling, it is dry. If it 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 them tightly with plastic wrap. Click (here) to see photos of how I wrap them.
- 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.

Culinary Explanations:

Why do I start the dehydrator at 145 degrees (F)? Click (here) to learn the reason behind this.
When working with fresh ingredients, it is important to taste test as you build a recipe. Learn why (here).
Don’t own a dehydrator? Learn how to use your oven (here). I do however truly believe that it is a worthwhile investment. Click (here) to learn what I use.