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Apricot Fruit Roll-Ups®

Source of Recipe


From "Classic Snacks Made from Scratch" by Casey Barber



List of Ingredients



• 1 pound apricots
  
• Juice of ½ lemon
  
• ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
  






Instructions



1. Bring a 4-quart stockpot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Cut a shallow X in both ends of each apricot. Gently drop the fruit into the boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds to loosen the skins. Remove using a slotted spoon or metal skimmer and place in the ice water. Cool for 3 minutes, then use your fingers to gently peel the skins off. Halve and pit the apricots.
   
   
2. Place the apricot halves in a blender or the bowl of a food processor. Add the lemon juice and blend for 1 minute, until a smooth purée forms. Pour the purée into a high-sided pan or Dutch oven (the wider the better, to help the liquid evaporate evenly). Stir in the sugar and bring to a low boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often. Watch for visual cues: the liquid will foam, then clarify as the bubbles slow and the purée thickens. At the final stage, the purée will be consistently thick and almost opaque, "mounding" slightly instead of immediately seeping back when pushed across the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175° F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners. Divide the cooked fruit between the baking sheets and spread evenly, using an offset spatula or silicone spatula, into as thin and wide a rectangle as possible. The jam should be no more than â…›-inch thick but still as evenly opaque as you can manage; thinner, more translucent spots will harden into brittle.
   
   
4. Cook for 5 to 6 hours, or until the fruit feels slightly tacky but no longer sticky. The timing will depend on the humidity level; a rainy day makes for a longer set.
   
   
5. Transfer the parchment or Silpats to wire racks and cool completely, then transfer to a sheet of waxed paper large enough to leave overhang on all sides. Use kitchen shears to cut the fruit leather into six 5-x-5-inch squares. Fold the extra waxed paper over the edges before rolling so they won't fuse. Store the Roll-Ups at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
   
   
   Makes 12 (5-x-5-inch) rolls
   
   






Final Comments


Stars? Hearts? The map of New Jersey? Making peel-out shapes on your Fruit Roll-Ups is as easy as busting out whatever cookie cutters you've got rattling around in your drawers. Once you've transferred the Roll-Up to waxed paper, use your favorite cookie cutters to stamp shapes in the fruit leather, pressing gently but firmly and wiggling the cutter back and forth if necessary. Be careful not to cut through the paper!