Dried Fruit Chips - Sweetness Mania

Dehydrator week 2…the experimenting continues...

This time I tried drying fruit. Should be simple enough, right? And guess what - it was! This fruit chips recipe is perfect for a sweet tooth, as the drying really brings out the sweet flavors of all the fruits. These are great for backpacking because they are super light, or for keeping a stash of sugary goodness at the office, or for travelling. Here's how you can get your own sweet fix on the go without any added sugar. 

Dried Fruit Chips Potpourri

Tutti Frutti Dried Fruit Chips Recipe

Ingredients

2 Mangos

½ box of strawberries

1 kiwi

1 green apple

1 gala apple

Juice of one lemon or about ½ - 1 cup of orange, pineapple, or lime juice.

Drying Temperature: 135 degrees

Drying Time: 10 hours

Cut the fruit into about 3/8” slices, except for the strawberries which are better around 1/2”. Mix your citrus juice with a little water in a large freezer bag and add the fruit, making sure the apples go in first to get especially well coated since they brown the most. Reserve these in the fridge until ready, then place on dehydrator sheets. 

You can initially set the temperature to 160 degrees to kind of pre-heat it. This is supposedly good for helping prevent mold during the process, but I don’t think it is absolutely necessary. I did this while I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed, which took me about 10 minutes. You could probably “preheat” it for up to 30-45 minutes. Then turn the dehydrator temperature down to 135 degrees for the night and let it go for about 10 hours.

I woke up around 3am to use the bathroom, and I couldn't resist checking on them - especially since the house smelled so delicious! So after rigorously washing my hands (good sanitation is very important when dehydrating foods as the temperature is not hot enough to kill bacteria), I flipped all the fruit slices to ensure even drying. I don’t know that this step is totally necessary, but I thought what the heck, I’m awake anyway. 

The sweet lil things were done in the morning and ready to be stored in an airtight container. I’m not a big fruit fan, I think because of the extreme sweet and tartness, so I left them for Brian. Within one day all of them were gone! Except I did take a handful out and chopped them up in the food processor as part of my attempt at yogurt covered granola bars. This is a total experimentation as I can't find a single similar recipe online. So, if it works out, I will let you know. 

Featured on The Gluten Free Homemaker's Gluten Free Wednesdays Carnival

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