How to Make Dried Fruit Snacks at Home Using Washington Grown Apples and Pears From Fruit From Washington

Fruit roll-ups, fruit leather, dried apples, dried pears and other delicious dehydrated fruit snacks

Start with a good quantity of fruit! The process of drying fruit removes moisture which results in considerable shrinkage of volume of fruit. You will need to start with a lot of fruit to be sure of a good quantity of dried product at the end of the process! - Call or email for price and availability of bushel quantities of apples that are great for cooking and drying such as Jonagolds and Galas, or Romes in October, also check our apple and pear catalog pages.

Dried pear slices or pear leather make delicious, take anywhere, eat anytime snacks!

A commercial electric food dehydrator is the most reliable method of drying fruit.

Dehydration-The Drying Process

Apples and Pears make wonderful dried snack foods. Usually drying is a method of dealing with an over abundance of ripe fruit but it can also be a fun project in small quantities.

Drying Apples

Select firm textured apples for drying. To prepare the fruit, wash and slice into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices. Pre-treat with a lemon juice/water solution (1 cup of lemon juice to 1 quart of water) or an Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) solution to prevent browning. Place slices onto drying rack. Dry fruit at 135° F. When fruit is pliable and there is no sign of moisture it can be stored in air tight bags or jars. After proper drying, apples and pears will keep in a cool, dry place from six months to a year.

Drying Pears

Any summer or winter variety of pear is suitable for drying. Pears should be ripe. Wash and slice. Pre-treat with lemon/water or ascorbic acid solution if you like. Dry at 135° F until leathery and there is no moisture present. Makes a great, sweet snack. Store carefully in air tight bags or jars. Keep in a cool, dry place.

Question: I have a friend in Northern California who has an abundance of apples and would like to make something different (other than applesauce, etc.) Do you have a recipe for “fruit leather” that could be made with apples? This makes a wonderful snack for children (of all ages) and something she could perhaps make for Halloween treats for her grandchildren and the neighbors.....thank you so much!

Answer: I make a lot of raspberry - apple fruit leather (great for kids' lunches and car snacks!) and always use a little bit of honey for this reason. You can use too much honey though and the dried leather turns out "sticky." We like the American Harvest dehydrators because you can set the drying temperature and add accessories like more fruit roll-up trays. -KE

Basic Fruit Leather

Pureed fruit can be dried on special, heavy plastic sheets in your electric dehydrator. To prepare apples or pears for leather making, wash fruit thoroughly, remove seeds, puree in a blender or food processor until smooth. Mixture should be of pouring consistency. It is important to add honey to help keep the leather pliable when dried. If the puree is too thick, add liquid to thin. If too tart, add more honey or sugar. Heat apple or pear mixture to 190° F to prevent oxidization, cool before pouring onto dehydrator trays. Coat trays with a layer of fruit puree about 1/8 inch thick. Dry at 135° F until leathery. Be careful there are no moisture pockets. Roll up fruit leather while warm, wrap in plastic and store. Makes a great, easy to pack snack for any outing.

Applesauce Puree for Fruit Roll-ups

I make applesauce by quartering the apples, trimming off the blossom and stems ends, put in pan and add a little water then simmer stirring frequently, until soft. I then put the cooked apples through a food mill or strainer to remove the peels and seeds. Add about 1 tablespoon honey per cup of applesauce to keep the fruit leather pliable so it can be rolled up. This results in a nice smooth puree for making fruit leather. (If it's too thick to spread easily, add more water.) -KE

Fruit Leather Made from Applesauce Puree

Lightly grease dehydrator trays and spread puree evenly and thinly onto trays. Set temperature at 130-140° F. (55-60° C.) and dry until fruit leather feels dry and pliable, with no sticky spots. Remove from trays and cut into pieces. Roll in wax paper and fasten rolls with a strip of freezer tape. For long-term storage, put roll-ups in freezer bags or quart yogurt containers and store in freezer.

How to Prepare Dried Apples for Use in Apple Pie Filling and Sauces

1/2 pound dried apples
2 1/2 - 3 c. water (or more)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
Sugar to taste (1/2 c. for slight sweetness up to 2 c. for those who like it super sweet)

Combine dried apples with water in heavy saucepan, place over low heat. Simmer, covered, until apples have the consistency of thick preserves. Add more liquid as needed. Be careful heat is not too high. Stir periodically to prevent scorching. When thickened consistency is reached, remove from heat and stir in spices. Taste and add sugar as need. Let cool completely. Use as filling in such recipes as Fried Apple Pies. Left over filling will keep covered in the refrigerator for about a week. Also makes a nice sauce garnish for roasted pork and poultry.

Heirloom Peach Leather Recipe

Peach Leather - "Apple and quince leather are made in the same fashion."

Stew as many peaches as you choose, allowing a quarter of a pound of sugar to one of fruit; mash it up smooth as it cooks, and when it is dry enough to spread in a thin sheet on a board greased with butter, set it out in the sun to dry; when dry it can be rolled up like leather,wrapped up in a cloth, and will keep perfectly from season to season. Schoolchildren regard it as a delightful addition to their lunch of biscuit or cold bread. Apple and quince leather are made in the same fashion, only a little flavoring or spice is added to them. Source: The White House Cook Book (1899)

See More Heirloom Recipes