Apple Cranberry Fruit Leather

I'm starting to get tired of apples.

Apple chips, apple donuts, apple juice.... not to mention apple eating.

It's a good thing I got 4 boxes of healthy, blood cholesterol reducing, fibre rich apples. I can't imagine what I would've done with 4 boxes of bacon fat or pickled herring.

Bacon fat chips anyone?

What about some delicious, salty, herring pickle juice?

Just had a flash back to my candy store days.

We used to sell Bertie Bott's Beans. They were/are jelly beans with flavours like toe nails, dirt, earthworm, soap, bacon.

Sounds scrumptious, eh? (Yes, I AM CANADIAN!)

You would not believe the amount of them we sold.

Tons!

And! We sold most of them to adults to give to their unsuspecting children.

How cruel is that?

Be real, could you give this face an ear wax flavoured jelly bean?

Not even on my worst day, in my worst moment would I give her that.

(Actually, come to think of it , yesterday I found her eating dirt out of one of my plant pots so maybe she wouldn't mind it so much.)

Regardless, I am thankful (add it to my other reasons of things I'm thankful for) that I have apples and now some dried apple fruit leather to feed her rather than dried herring leather.

So what was I going to say about the fruit leather?

Oh right.

Cranberries + Apples = Good

Cranberries +Apples + Lemon Juice + Honey = Great

(Cranberries + Apples + Lemon Juice + Honey) ÷ (Dried in an oven or dehydrator)   = AMAZING!

                               

Apple Cranberry Fruit Leather

Makes: 2 9x13 sheets

Adapted from: Eat and Talk originally from Martha Stewart

3lbs assorted apples (for best results mix tart and sweet)

1 cup thawed cranberries

⅓ cup apple juice

2 tbsps lemon juice

3 tbsps honey or agave nectar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°F. Generously spray two 9''x13'' rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.

2. Core the apples (you can leave the peel on). In a food processor or blender purée the apples, cranberries, apple and lemon juices and honey. You may need to do this in 2 batches if your blender or food processor isn't big enough.

3. Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 pans. Smooth out the top with an offset spatula. It should be about ¼'' thick.

4. Bake in the oven with the door slightly ajar for 3 -3½hrs or until dry to the touch. It will dry up a bit more as it cools so you don't want to over cook it or it'll turn to 'fruit brittle'. Check the fruit leather every hour or so to make sure the edges aren't browning and rotate the pans. Remove from the oven and let it sit for about an hour until easy to handle.

5. After the leather is removed from the oven cut off any dry or uneven edges and cut and roll up into desired sizes. Keep wrapped in plastic. (I like to refrigerate mine but it's not necessary.)