Strawberry Basil Fruit Leather
You can find numerous recipes for fruit leather on the internet. It’s been around forever. The best thing about this simple treat is that if you make it at home you don’t need chemical preservatives, you can control the amount of sugar, and best of all you can be as creative as you want to be. I have yet to see strawberry basil fruit leather and after tasting it we are all missing out! The sweetness of the strawberries and the fresh almost licorice taste of the basil makes a unique and amazingly flavorful treat for everyone! I’ve got many different flavor combos to share with you in the near future. So watch out!
Strawberry Basil Fruit Leather
- 1 1/2 pound strawberries
- 1 cup fresh basil (about 40 leaves)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree for 1 minute until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor you can finely chop the basil and add everything in a saucepan. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the strawberries are soft and mash until smooth with a potato masher.
Pour the puree into a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture becomes a little thicker.
Line a 17″x 11″ baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the puree onto it. Spread out evenly with a spatula, leaving a half inch of parchment paper on all sides.
Place in a 170°F oven for 6 hours (or 120°F for 8 to 10 hours) until the puree is shinny and no longer wet and supper sticky. Allow to cool.
Once cool, remove from the pan with the paper intact. Roll tightly and cut into sections with a sharp knife. Serve and watch the smiles. Store in a plastic bag or air-tight container in the pantry for up to 3 months.
They don’t last long in this house.
Strawberry Basil Fruit Leather
- 1 1/2 pound strawberries
- 1 cup fresh basil (about 40 leaves)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs lemon juice
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree for 1 minute until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor you can finely chop the basil and add everything in a saucepan. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the strawberries are soft and mash until smooth with a potato masher.
Pour the puree into a pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until the mixture becomes a little thicker.
Line a 17″x 11″ baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the puree onto it. Spread out evenly with a spatula, leaving a half inch of parchment paper on all sides.
Place in a 170°F oven for 6 hours (or 120°F for 8 to 10 hours) until the puree is shinny and no longer wet and supper sticky. Allow to cool.
Once cool, remove from the pan with the paper intact. Roll tightly and cut into sections with a sharp knife. Serve and watch the smiles. Store in a plastic bag or air-tight container in the pantry for up to 3 months.
Ali @thecoffeeqween
Omg this sounds amazing!! I am so making some thinweekend thanks!
In Sock Monkey Slippers
let me know what you think!
Shumaila
Have never tried fruit leather but this looks and sounds great! Thanks for sharing!
In Sock Monkey Slippers
anytime. Thanks for stopping by!
Phuoc'n Delicious
Oh yummy! These look great! I didn’t realise they are that easy to make! Thanks for sharing :)
In Sock Monkey Slippers
seriously easy!
Anna
You made such a great argument I had to try it!
I used mint instead of basil and I´ve just noticed I forgot the lemon. But it smells amazing! After only 2 hours in the oven I could smell it even before I opened the door coming back from the movies… Can´t wait to try it first thing in the morning!!!
Thank You so much for the idea. Before I stubled upon your blog yesterday I did not even know fruit leather existed!
a very thankfull girl from germany
In Sock Monkey Slippers
Oh that combo sounds good!
Carrie
In the oven now…. smells delicious! That was so easy to do. I can’t wait until they are ready to be devoured!
Marisa
We haven’t even gotten to the finished product, but the puree on its own tastes amazing!!! I can’t WAIT to see what this tastes like when it’s done!! My son can’t hardly wait either! He took care of licking the spoon when I was done pouring it into the sheets. So yummy!!!
In Sock Monkey Slippers
So glad you are cooking with your son! This one is perfect for the kiddos! The only problem I had was keeping Mia from eating the strawberries.
Debbie
This sounds so good & easy but I wonder if it would work with Splenda. Thanks for sharing it you have a cool site!
Rachel
This looks so tasty! Just wondering- could you replace the strawberries for a mixture of berries or some other fruit to make other flavors? Have you ever tried any other type?
Thanks!
In Sock Monkey Slippers
YES! Just did a mango and an apricot. They both did well. I was actually working on some more flavors. We can’t keep enough of them around here lately.
K'leen
Thought you would like to know that your wonderful recipe also works raw…I substitute either raw honey or real maple syrup for the white sugar..blend and dehydrate at under 105degrees and all nutrients and live enzymes are a bonus..
Great idea..would have never thought to combine the strawberries and basil…love it!
F
How does one dehydrate the recipe? I’d really like to try it that way.
In Sock Monkey Slippers
Oven drying is a way of dehydration. I can not accurately get my oven past 170° and I do not own a dehydrator. If you don’t have one either and want to dehydrate at 105° to keep the active bacteria alive you could try setting your oven at the lowest setting and cracking the door open a little. Use an oven thermometer to control your oven temp and cook or “dehydrate” for 12 hours or until the fruit leather is shiny and no longer sticky to the touch.
Although I do not practice a raw diet I do believe that eating fresh food that has never seen a box is an excellent path to try to follow.
In Sock Monkey Slippers
That’s funny. I woke up this morning wanting to make more with Agave! If you decide to make this recipe with a raw honey or syrup, please let me know how it turns out!
Kelli
Made it this morning with mint. The purée is yummy! Can’t wait for the finished product. Love your blog and site.
In Sock Monkey Slippers
Thanks!Let me know how the mint turns out!
Kelli
It was a hit with the little man of the house. (: Nutella muffins in the morning. Thanks again for all these great kid friendly recipes.
snorky
I made this today and it came out pretty good. Though I think I didn’t pour enough puree onto the parchment paper since the fruit leather came out a bit too crispy. I’ll try pouring a nice thick amount next time.
Skylar
I saw this recipe and I had all the ingredients on hand so I just knew I HAD to make it! It turned out quite wonderfully for my first fruit leather – thanks! hope you don’t mind me tagging you in my post: http://adventuresofafuturechef.blogspot.com/2011/06/patience-and-learning-fruit-leather-and.html
In Sock Monkey Slippers
Glad you liked it! It’s a favorite here. Might have to try that ginger beer. Keep that blog going Skylar!
Brooke
>.> Quick question… I just did this (tastes great) but I’m having some issues with getting the paper off… any ideas? :3
Tracey Pera
This was my question exactly, I love fruit leather, but not so much – paper. How well does it ‘release’?
In Sock Monkey Slippers
lol. not a paper eating fan either. I use parchment paper and I’ve never had a problem with it releasing. Just peel it off like you would a Fruit Roll-Up.