Apple Cinnamon Fruit Leather
ShareA recipe for homemade apple fruit leather that is both delicious and easy. Great for back to school lunches and afternoon snacks!
I can still hear the store bought fruit strips being pulled away from their package. It’s the kind of thing you don’t forget. Or at least for me. Roll it up, rip it apart or just take a giant bite. I loved those things. I can practically smell the strawberry variety right now. A delicious childhood memory. I had little restraint when it came to those. I could easily eat an entire box if I wanted to.
It only makes sense after making a cherry version that I would make an apple version. And let me tell you, this was incredible. Just the right amount of cinnamon and the absolute perfect texture. I wanted to hide them from the kids so I could eat them all myself! That good. My oldest has already requested I make another batch for school.
I still can’t get over how incredibly easy this is to make. But best of all, the taste is fantastic and it’s a great healthy snack. You don’t need to question the ingredients either. Apples, cinnamon, sugar and water. All words you can say without stumbling over, unlike the long ingredient list of the store bought version. Yikes!
Apple Cinnamon Fruit Leather
Ingredients
- 4 C apples
- 1/4 C lemon juice
- 1/2 C water
- 1/2 tbsp boiled cider optional
- 1/3 C granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170°F. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
- Core and peel apples. Chop into large chunks. Toss in lemon juice to avoid browning while prepping the remaining apples.
- Add apples and remaining ingredients to a large saucepan or stockpot. Cook over medium heat. When apples are tender, use a potato masher to slightly mash the apples. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes.
- Carefully pour mixture into a blender or food processor to purée.
- Divide purée evenly between pans. Use an offset spatula to smooth out the mixture.
- Bake for 3 hours or until leather is slightly tacky and no longer wet. (*Time will vary depending on the thickness of your mixture.) Every hour, rotate pans 180°F and swap rack levels.
- Allow leather to cool before slicing. Using a pizza wheel or knife, carefully slice fruit leather into desired sizes. Wrap in wax paper. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
I’ve never made fruit leather before, but you make it sound so easy, I think I might have to try it!!
love this! I took your advice and stocked up on apples yesterday, i’m ready for lots of recipes!
I am seriously going to try this! I bet my kids would LOVE it!
I have been wanting to make fruit leather since you posted the cherry one. I think my kids would go nuts for it.
This looks and sounds so good! so reminiscent of childhood. i used to eat a disgusting amount of these. so awesome you can make them at home! ahh i want it now!
Tiffany would have a blast helping me with the apple leather! Can’t wait to see other #anappleaday treats
Thanks for sharing this Rachel. We don’t have a single clue on how to make fruit leather – thanks to this post, we now know how ;)
Going to try making this for my daughter’s lunches when she starts kindergarten next week (and for the rest of the family to snack on)! Thanks for sharing!
That looks so good!!
I’ve wanted to make these for so long, and I think I just might have to now! Thanks for sharing. :)
I’m in love… :)
Since Apple Season is here (or coming up) it will be real cheap to buy alot of apples especially since I live in Washington! :)
I love this idea! I haven’t had fruit leather in forever, but I was a big fan back in the day. The possibilities are endless!
I can not wait to try this!!! Looks yummy!
Yum! I need some apples in my life!
What a great idea! They look so good & I’m loving the apple series!
Oh how fun is this!!! I am so going to have to try it, my 7 year old will love it!
Hi! Does the ‘c’ in the ingredient list stand for cups?! If so, I’m in the UK and we don’t measure in cups over here! Can you possible confirm in grams instead please including how many while apples I’ll need please. Many thanks!
C does stand for cups. As for a conversion, it can not simply be converted to grams as cups and grams are two different styles of measurements. I suggest you use 4 medium to large size apples.
I am doing a post on your fruit leathers today. They turned out great and my daughter loves them. Thanks for sharing!!
I just love all the fun flavors you have for these fruit leathers!
so does the lemon/water go in the crockpot or is that on the ingredients list to toss to prevent browning? i think i’ll try this tomorrow with some tart apples i don’t know what to do with and was a bit confused!
As stated within the recipe, the lemon juice is for tossing the apples in to prevent browning. All remaining items, including the water, are added to the slow cooker. :) Enjoy!
can you make this without sugar? we don’t eat sugar.
You can attempt substituting with honey, but I have not done that personally so I cannot be sure of the results.
I have made it with straight stewed apples and no added sugar, I just used nice sweet apples. It worked fine for me. I also made some with puréed really ripe pears ( I did not cook these just blended them) they were fantastic, too.
Thanks for sharing! :)
İn Turkey we have many kind (grapes,cherry,apricots,white mullberry),of fruit leathers but I didn’t try to make at home Thanks a lot
I was also confused about the lemon juice. I added lemon juice to the pot with the other I ingredients and realized after reading one of the comments that I probably shouldn’t have. Please update your recipe to be more clear. Excited to try it, thanks got sharing!
In the future, if you ever have a question about a recipe, feel free to leave a comment or email me before moving forward. Enjoy the fruit leather! :)
is it ok to replace the sugar with stevia?
I have not tried it that way but you’re welcome to try and see how it works for you!
I love this recipe and have used it regularly since I found it last year. Thank you for sharing!
I hope you don’t mind, but I’m teaching a class on making fruit leather tomorrow, and I am including your recipe. I am also making sure to give you credit on the paper, with your website. I hope that’s ok.
You have inspired me to not waste food that we’ve had canned and hadn’t eaten yet. My children love this snack as much as I do!
So glad you’ve enjoyed it! Thank you for giving full credit. And, I hope everyone enjoys it as much as both of our families have! :)
Hi! Maybe a dumb question, but what type of cider did you use? Like apple cider or cider vinegar? Thanks!
The ingredients link to boiled cider, which is basically an apple syrup. The fruit leather can be made without it. It simply gives a boost in flavor.
**tip** I used parchment paper instead of silicon sheets as that’s all I had and it made storage a breeze!! I was able to trim edges and then cut to the right size using clean kitchen shears. It was a breeze! Then I rolled them up and into a Ziploc bag.
Can’t wait to try with other fruit and new combos !!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Sarah! :)
how long can these store for?
I can’t give you an exact number since ours were enjoyed rather quickly. However, you should easily be able to store these for several weeks or longer at room temperature and even longer if chilled.
Can you use like Splenda or something like that in stead of sugar?
If you’re familiar with sugar substitutions, then it would be worth a try.