Whenever we go to Safeway, kiddo wants to buy the fruit loops. One day I was mentioning the same to my music teacher and I was worried about the artificial sugar and the colors and she was telling why can’t you try it home? In the next class, she made some for me. It was a mixed fruit loop and she added a little bit of sweet paprika and it was so yummy. But then she had a dehydrator and I didn’t want to spend a lot on a dehydrator. She mentioned that instead of using a dehydrator, I can bake too at the lowest setting. That’s when I searched for the perfect temperature to bake, found a couple of posts. You need to bake at the lowest possible temperature but that varies from oven to oven. Mine goes to 175 def F and I baked it at that temperature. If your oven goes only till 200 deg F, then bake it at that temperature. So the temperature and the thickness of the fruit determines the timing. Timing varies for each and every fruit and also depending upon how thick the layer is. Also, how crispy you want your roll up to be. Crispy roll-ups have a longer shelf life when compared to the soft ones.
Couple of things to keep in mind.
Spread the fruit puree as a thin layer. If the layers are thick, it takes hours and hours for drying. In the worst-case scenario, try flipping it after 4 hours or so for faster baking. Don’t tell the kids regarding the rolls till the baking is over. As it takes more hours it’s not a good idea to let them know beforehand or be ready to answer the question “When it will be done” for at atleast n+n times. :-) If possible get silicone mat. It’s really a good buy and worth the money.
So here is the simple homemade strawberry & dates roll-ups recipe, Ingredients:
Strawberries – 40 approximately Dates – 5
Steps:
Microwave the dates in 1 cup of water for 2 minutes so that it gets softened. You can also soak them in water for half an hour or so. Remove the hull from the strawberries and discard the hulls.
Now puree the strawberry and soaked dates. DON’T ADD ANY WATER. If the strawberries are very sour, then add some sugar. Dates add the required sweetness but need you can add more.
In the cookie tray, place the silicone mat and spread the puree as thin as possible.
Bake them in the preheated oven at 175 degrees F for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours or till it becomes dry. I baked it for 6 hours.
Let it cool. Remove it from the silicone mat and cut them into vertical strips and roll them up.
Notes:
Add any fruits of your choice. A pinch of salt and sweet paprika can be added too. Adjust the dates and strawberry ratio. Also if the strawberries are sour, add sugar.
📖 Recipe
