These 2-Ingredient Fruit Roll-Ups Are An Easy Summer Snack That Everyone Will Enjoy

Blueberry cobbler, mango margaritas, and watermelon gazpacho are all ways to take advantage of bountiful summer fruit. However, none of them are as simple or nostalgic as an all-natural, two-ingredient fruit roll-up. Whether you're looking for a fun project to get stuck into with your kids or a chemical-free stroll down memory lane, fruit roll-ups are the recipe you need to try.

All you need to make these childhood treats is your favorite summer fruit and a sweetener. Separate the flesh of the fruit from its seed, peel, skin, or rind and add chunks to a blender to blitz until smooth. Depending on the water content of the fruit in question, you might have to strain excess juice from the pulp through a mesh strainer.

Once you've isolated the pulp, add it to a bowl with a sweetener of your choice, whether it's sugar, honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. Once the two ingredients are fully combined, pour the sweetened pulp over a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet, tipping the pan until there's an even thin layer. Then, the aim is to dehydrate the fruit slowly in the oven at the lowest temperature for hours; some recipes say 170 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours, while others specify 150 degrees for six to eight hours. When the pulp has turned to leather, let it cool, and then use a pair of scissors to cut the fruit and parchment paper into strips to roll up.

Despite fruit roll-ups possessing only two ingredients, there are numerous combinations and flavors to make a homemade variety pack. The type of sweetener you use will play a big role in the flavor of your fruit roll-up. If you want the purest fruit flavor, white sugar is the most neutral sweetener. However, maple syrup, honey, and agave all have distinct floral tasting notes to complement fruit. Summer fruit with extra tang like berries, pineapple, and cherries would taste delicious with the rich sweetness of maple syrup, for example. You can also make multi-flavored fruit roll-ups by pouring different fruit pulps across a sheet pan in horizontal rows, so that each vertical strip gets a dose of each fruit. Mango-blueberry-strawberry fruit roll-ups would be a tasty combo, or cherry and watermelon. 

Then again, some fruit may be sweet enough on its own, so taste the pulp before adding too much sweetener. To ensure that the parchment paper doesn't crumple or separate from the fruit leather in the oven, you can soak it in water before lining your sheet pan. You can also squeeze a bit of lemon juice or citric acid into the pulp to maintain the bright hue of fresh fruit as baking fruit pulp will dull its color. Should you decide to use a very watery fruit, like watermelon or cantaloupe, you can use the excess juice you strain from the pulp for a refreshing soft drink, or adults-only melon mojito mix.