Taste-bud Journey: Dehydrating three types of Berry Fruit Leather

During the pandemic, I am taking taste-bud journeys as I self-isolate rather than physical journeys. Here is my adapted recipe for dehydrating three different types of Berry Fruit Leather. It was inspired by watching multiple tutorials on how to do something similar to this on Amazon and YouTube plus reading the cookbook that came with my COSORI Dehydrator. Adding Water Enhancer drops to the recipe instead of sugar was my own little creative touch. As for utilizing the gelling tendencies of chia seeds in the recipe was suggested in at least one of the tutorial videos I viewed. An example video using chia seeds is posted near the end of this blog.

Fruit Leather type #1: Blackberry, Raspberry, & Strawberry

Fruit Leather type #2: Blackberry & Raspberry

Fruit Leather type #3: Blackberry & Strawberry 

Since this was my first attempt at making Fruit Leather, I had to give my COSORI Dehydrator a little dress rehearsal to see which configurations of silicone molds would fit so as to maximize the number of Fruit Leather pieces that would fit. This is the result of that little experiment.

Recipe that is adjustable based on the type of fruit you have on hand and the combinations your personal taste buds would most enjoy. This was mine.

• Since I planned to use blackberry in all three types for Fruit Leather, I used my hand-held food chopper to chop up about 2 cups of frozen (thawed) blackberries. [FYI - I buy the kind that has been fresh-frozen with no added sugar.]

• Since I planned to use strawberry in two types of the Fruit Leather, I chopped up about 1 cup of frozen (thawed) strawberries. [FYI - I buy the kind that has been fresh-frozen with no added sugar.]

• Since I planned to use raspberry in two types of the Fruit Leather, I chopped up about 1 cup of frozen (thawed) raspberries. [FYI - I buy the kind that has been fresh-frozen with no added sugar.]

• Two tablespoons of Chia Seeds (a gelling and binding agent) in each type of Fruit Leather
• One tablespoon of Lemon Juice in each type of Fruit Leather
• Great Value Grape Drink Enhancer that I used with the Blackberry and Raspberry Fruit Leather. I used eight squirts. In retrospect, I almost made the recipe too sweet. In the future, I only plan to add four squirts, at the most.

• Mio Energy Acai Berry Storm Water Enhancer that I used with the three-berry Fruit Leather. I used eight squirts. In retrospect, I almost made the recipe too sweet. In the future, I only plan to add four squirts, at the most.

• Mio Energy Strawberry Pineapple Smash Water Enhancer that I used with the Blackberry and Strawberry Fruit Leather. I used eight squirts. In retrospect, I almost made the recipe too sweet. In the future, I only plan to add four squirts, at the most.

• Cooking oil to lightly grease the silicone molds. I used Coconut Cooking Spray.

 

Procedure

• Step 1: If you are using fresh fruit, wash and chop it up in a food processor. If you are using frozen, let it thaw for a few minutes and then chop it up.


• Step 2: You can certainly make Fruit Leather out of only one type of fruit. I decided to do three different combinations since I enjoy the way many mixed-fruit food items taste. 

1. So, in my case, I added chopped-up blackberries to each large measuring cup.
2. To the blackberries, I added in chopped-up strawberries to two of those large measuring cups.
3. To the blackberries, I added in chopped-up raspberries to only one of those two large measuring cups and to the remaining large measuring cup containing only blackberries.

• Step 3: I stirred in two tablespoons of chia seeds into each large measuring cup.


• Step 4: I stirred in one tablespoon of real lemon juice to each large measuring cup.


• Step 5: I stirred in 8 squirts of water enhancer into each large measuring cup. [Please note: I almost made the mixture too sweet by using that many squirts. Next time, I will only use four squirts, at the very most.]

1. Mio Energy Acai Berry Storm Water Enhancer is what I added to the large measuring cup that contained all three types of berries.
2. Mio Energy Strawberry Pineapple Smash Water Enhancer is what I added to the large measuring cup that contained blackberries and strawberries.
3. Great Value Grape Drink Enhancer is what I added to the large measuring cup that contained blackberries and raspberries.

• Step 6: Make certain that your mixture is very well mixed.


• Step 7: In the meantime, grease each silicone mold with cooking oil. I used Coconut Cooking Oil - the spray-on kind. [That was when, for the first time ever, I noticed something that slightly disturbed me. I like using coconut oil as it has a lot of potential health benefits. Up to that day, I had never detected a scent or taste of coconut in the spray. Since I am a person that does not like coconut nor even like the smell of Coppertone Sun Tan Lotion that often smells like coconut, I was slightly alarmed. I know the liquid version of Coconut Oil does not contain any scent of coconut. But I had never, until that day, realized that the spray version was different. Thankfully, it did not impact the taste of the Fruit Leather. In any case, next time, I will use either a different cooking spray or the liquid version of that instead.]


• Step 8: Divide your mixture among the silicone molds. Spread it out until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick. Use a spatula to kind of push in on the edges as any part of the mixture that is too thin will not dehydrate correctly. If you notice from the photos, I did not always fill the entire mold.

• Step 9: Load the trays into your dehydrator. Set the temperature for 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the time for three hours. 

• Step 10: At the three-hour point, carefully peel up the mostly dry leather and flip it over so that the wet bottom side can now fully dehydrate, as well.


• Step 11: Set the timer for one more hour. At that point, check your Fruit Leather. If it is dry enough to suit you, remove it from the dehydrator. If not, let it go for another few minutes or an hour until you feel it is the right level of dryness and texture. Mine only needed that fourth hour to be finished.


• Step 12: Allow the Fruit Leather to cool on a cooling rack or plate before putting it in a ZipLoc bag or storage container with a lid. Use an Oxygen Absorber in each container to help preserve the Fruit Leather. I think it will be good for a week or two, if you don't gobble it up much sooner than that. LOL!

Fruit Leather type #1: Blackberry, Raspberry, & Strawberry

Fruit Leather type #2: Blackberry & Raspberry

Fruit Leather type #3: Blackberry & Strawberry 

In case you are interested in where I got these 'kitchen toys,'here are the links. They will all open in a new window. FYI - I don't get any special perks for posting these. This is simply listed for the convenience for people, like me, who adore kitchen gadgets and baking aids.

• Electric Mini Garlic Chopper, Synmixx Portable Mini Food Chopper Vegetable Slicer Meat Grinder with Type-C Charge Port, 2 Blades, Garlic Blender with for Chopping Garlic/Onions/Chili/Ginger(250 ml) from Amazon


• Pantry Elements Rectangular Silicone Baking Cups / Cupcake and Muffin Molds, Six Vibrant Colors - 12-Pack from Amazon


• Wilton 6ct Silicone Mini Tart and Pie Molds from Target.com


• Palksky 3 Pcs 2-Cavity Round Silicone Rainbow Cake Mold, 5.5 Inch Large Circle Disc Resin Coaster Mold, Layered Cake Pan for Baking Vegetable Pancakes, Whoopie Pie, Mini Pizza, French Desserfrom Amazon


• COSORI Premium Food Dehydrator Machine(50 Free Recipes), 6 Stainless Steel Trays with Digital Timer and Temperature Control for Beef,Jerky,Fruit,Dog Treats,Herbs,ETL Listed/FDA Compliant from Amazon

Here is a video tutorial for how to do something similar but using the oven instead. There is even a cute puppy in the background to watch. I didn't have much success trying to do this in the oven; however, I hadn't thought to use chia seeds, at the time. The chef dried hers for six to ten hours in an oven set to 170 degrees Fahrenheit. So, I may try this again sometime in the future when I have finally eaten all of my current crop of Fruit Leather.

Cooking Sites that have inspired me:

• Gemma's Bigger Bolding Baking website that includes over 100 great cooking videos.

• All Recipes Website that includes all kinds of sweet and savory recipes.

Books written by Debbie Dunn:

Here is the Amazon Link to all anti-bullying curriculum books plus all children’s books written by Debbie Dunn (both paperback and Kindle). It will open up in a new window.

• Author’s Page on Amazon.com