I brought my own fruit leather because I don't trust your snacks.

One of the things I was eager to make when I got my dehydrator was fruit leather...or fruit rolls....or just dried fruit, but that last one is slightly different.

The greatest thing about making fruit leather is that there are no specific formulas or ingredient ratios that you need to worry about. You can just grab the fruit that you had every intention of eating but just never did, so now it might be soft and wrinkly (ehh blaah).

Make sure the fruit you use doesn't have any pits. I read in my dehydrator manual that seeds ought to be removed as well, but I put kiwis in mine and the seeds were no problem at all.
Unnoticeable.
Imperceptible.
Unassuming.

So just leave 'em in there.

I like to use bananas, kiwis, vanilla, a little cinnamon, and I like to simmer dates and prunes (added for regularity!) in apple juice. If you have frozen fruits, like cherries, I bet those would be amazing.

pitted dates and prunes simmering in apple juice

Simmer the dates and prunes

In a small saucepan, throw in some pitted dates and prunes, then pour apple juice to just barely cover them. Simmer them over medium-low heat, keeping it covered. Check on it every few minutes. Soon you'll see that the dates and prunes have absorbed most of the apple juice. When this is the case, add it to a blender.

Blend

After removing the skins from both the bananas and kiwis (not necessary to remove seeds from kiwis, remember?), blend in a blender with the date-prune-apple juice concoction. To this you can add a little honey, vanilla, cinnamon, or any other spices you think would fly well. 

Just a warning

For some reason, the blended mixture of fruits does not smell good. I think it smells like hard-boiled egg yolk, in a bad way. So please ignore that smell. It doesn't taste all that good either. So please ignore that taste. Don't let this discourage you! Power forward.

Pour

Now pour the contents of the blender to a dehydrator tray - yes, a tray is needed - and even it out with a spoon or some kind of kitchen tool.

Pour slowly because you may need 2 or more trays. And you might want to keep the kitchen clean.

You can also add a garnish, such as chopped nuts or coconut. Just sprinkle on top of the smoothed mixture on the tray. Beware, shredded coconut may have added sugar, so look for a variety that doesn't.

   

Dehydrate
Plug the dehydrator in and turn it on, and now you've finished, the rest is up to the dehydrator!

The time dehydrating takes depends on the dehydrator, but they can reliably be done or close to done after about 8-10 hours.

They store best in an airtight container, try to eat within a week or two! (That will not be difficult)

Le produit fini:

You'll never have to bake old fruit into breads ever again! Who needs all that flour and sugar anyways?

Enjoy, and please tell me if you have any other fruit leather ideas!