Fruit Leather from Canned Fruit

1. Thoroughly drain home-canned or commercially canned fruit or use baby food fruit without tapioca.
2. Follow steps 3 and 5-9 for uncooked fruit leather. Since canned fruits have been heat processed to stop enzymatic action, you don’t need to add ascorbic acid.

Drying and Storing Fruit Leathers

Place prepared trays in the dehydrator. Dry until the leather is sticky, generally 6 to 8 hours at 140°F. Properly dried fruit leather will be translucent and slightly tacky to the touch but will still peel away from the plastic wrap.

Lift an edge of the leather, which should stick tightly to the surface, and peel it back slightly. If the leather peels away readily, it is dry. If the leather has cooled, it may need to be warmed slightly for a few minutes to help it peel away. If the fruit leather cracks or chips, it has dried too long, but it is still edible. Remove the remainder of the plastic wrap. If part of the leather is still sticky, you can dry it more without the plastic wrap.

After drying the fruit leather, leave it whole or cut it into pieces. The fruit leather can be rolled and wrapped in plastic wrap or stored flat in sheets with plastic wrap separating each sheet. Place the wrapped pieces in an air-tight container in a cool, dark, dry place. You can also store fruit leather in the refrigerator or freezer.