By Fruit and Veggie Leathers
When I started these I was really excited – not only are these super easy to make, but they’re healthy and cheap too!
Sadly, I was disappointed with the end result after attempting it twice.
All of the ingredients (strawberries, spinach, honey and lemon juice) are blended up together, and then poured into a parchment-lined baking sheet. I smoothed everything out to be as even as possible, which was difficult since the parchment paper pulls up on the sides.
The baking sheet was then put into the oven at a very low temperature for “5-7 hours,” according to the instructions.
On attempt #1 I left the fruit/veggie mixture in there for a full 5 hours before removing it from the oven. It was VERY burnt. It should have been like a fruit roll-up, but instead of rolling up it cracked and broke off in my hand.
For attempt #2 I left the mixture in for only 2 hours and 15 minutes. This time the edges were burnt, the middle was under-cooked, but the area where the two met was cooked perfectly.
So I broke off/ripped away the burnt edges and sliced up the rest of the “leather” into six sections. Then I rolled up the leathers in the parchment paper, as the instructions said.
My husband ate the under-cooked portion, which was too runny and sticky for me, but he said it tasted great. The in-between section that was cooked correctly was pretty good, but not good enough for me to ever attempt this again.
Too bad, too, because I had such high hopes for this one!
Taste: 7/10
The flavor was pretty good – it tasted very similar to the dry fruit leathers you can buy in stores. It wasn’t anything outstanding, however, and not worth all the struggle!
Difficulty: Challenging
At first glance this recipe looked amazingly easy. Just blend everything, pour into a baking sheet, and let cook for several hours.
It turns out it’s extremely difficult to make an even layer with the mixture in a parchment-filled baking sheet, and even more difficult to find the correct length of time to cook everything perfectly.
Cost: Cheap
Only 4 ingredients: strawberries, spinach, honey, and lemon juice.
Suggestion:
Maybe using a flatter baking sheet would work; one that doesn’t have raised sides. That way the parchment paper won’t pull upward, thinning out the mixture along the edges. Then again, you do risk the mixture running over the edges in this case.
Definitely pay close attention to the mixture as it cooks in the oven!
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