Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Wasted fruit is a travesty, especially this time of year, as fresh, local fruit starts to disappear. After being out of town for a few days I returned home to find overripe plums and knew just how to use them. I have a weakness for all things gummy and have been wanting to try to make my own fruit roll ups for some time now. This is quite a simple recipe, only three ingredients, and most of the process involves waiting. 

Fruit Roll Ups  (adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)
1 lbs. Fresh Fruit- any fruit, all fruit! OK, not really, but most fruit works and include skin if you would eat it. I used three plums (with skin) for one batch and 1 lbs. of blueberries for the other.
1 tablespoon of honey or agave
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and pre-heat the over for 170 degrees. Place the fruit, agave/honey and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until smooth. Line a rimmed heavy baking sheet with a silicon baking mat. Using an offset spatula, spread the puree evenly, leaving a one inch border around the baking mat. Bake until the puree is no longer sticky, at least 6 hours. When cooled, use kitchen scissors to cut into strips. Roll up using wax paper to keep the roll from sticking. 

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

Lessons Learned and Advice:

• The second time I made these I roasted the plums first. While it succeeded in bringing out fruit flavor it is not a necessary step. If you have time, cut the plums in half and roast them for 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow them to cool before placing them in the blender. 
• I made these the first time overnight which was a bad idea, I kept waking up to check on them. The next time, I made them on football Sunday and checked on them during commercial breaks. 
• It's very important to spread evenly on a slip mat. Otherwise the edges will overcook before the center dries. 
• I really struggled with cutting these babies once they were done. My first batch was a crooked mess. I ended up switching to cut them into shorter strips which helped me with cutting, and portion control.