LOSER! That's what I am, once again.
I don't know what is worse - the fact that I can screw up an easy recipe that contains only three ingredients OR that I can turn my food into a horror movie (see below):
No, Freddy Krueger has NOT taken over my blog. That's just me hiding behind my failed fruit leather (roll-up) snack. Hahaha!
I thought it would be fun to try making fruit roll-ups, a healthy on-the-go snack for Vivian and me. I read several recipes online for suggestions. The easiest one said to just use applesauce then add some honey and cinnamon to it for added sweetness. So that's what I did.
I mixed about two cups of applesauce I had on hand with the extra flavors. Then I spread it out in a baking pan. Some recipes said to place the wet fruit on plastic wrap but others said to use parchment paper. Nearly all of the recipes requested that the oven be slightly adjar. Furthermore they suggested baking the fruit leather at 150 or 200 degrees anywhere from 8 to 12 hours. I set my timer to go off at eight hours and checked my fruit once every two hours.
However, despite the above tips and recommendations, I didn't listen. I did my own thing which caused this failed snack recipe.
Mistake # 1 - I used plastic wrap instead of parchment paper for my fruit leather. When I did that, the plastic melted into the dried fruit. Why did I choose that instead of the parchment paper? Stupid, stupid!
Mistake # 2 - I did not leave the oven open or slightly ajar like the recipe suggested. I was paranoid about my daughter walking next to the oven and burning herself. In addtion, I baked the snack on a very cold day when the heater was on for several hours so I didn't think it would be wise to leave the oven open with the heat on for hours. I'm not sure if this is what caused my leather to "crystalize" instead of staying soft but I don't think it helped the consistency of it.
Mistake # 3 - After the 8 hours of baking, I should have checked the fruit leather every few minutes. Instead I became distracted and let it continue cooking for an hour before looking at it. End result: I overcooked the fruit leather. It broke apart like rock candy. Who wants to eat a rock? Not good, not good at all!
So, don't be like me folks! If you choose to bake your own fruit leather, then please clearly follow the directions and check on it often.
Don't be a loser in the way that I am! Don't scare your children or friends with that fruit mask on your face!
I threw my fruit roll-up attempt away and called it a day. I may try making this again in a few months but for now, I'll just eat fresh fruit, drink smoothies and leave the leather alone.
Have you had a recent cooking failure? Do you get mad at yourself or laugh at your mistakes when a flop occurs?
I love this post..it's important to share mistakes..thank you...I'll be back later, I don't know why, but now I 'm not able to sign me to your blog.. :( , hugs, Flavia
ReplyDeletehaha...i can't believe you put plastic wrap in the oven!! have i taught you nothing?? ;) seems like you were on to a good thing. i may look into trying this...i'll let you know how it goes!!! oh, and i get ANGRY with myself when I make cooking mistakes. Mostly b/c of the amount of wasted food if it's not salvageable.
ReplyDeleteOh my! You're brave to try that! Hopefully it will turn out better next time! Have you tried gummy worms? I saw that on a blog once, but chicken'd out!
ReplyDeleteAt least you're having fun with it!! I get aggravated with my fails, especially when it's a new recipe and I didn't trust my instincts against what the recipe said.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by today - by the way, I do have a very successful Shrimp Creole recipe if you'd like it. You can find it in my search box or email me if you want the link.
Have a great week!!
It actually looks like it tastes good. Do you have a dehydrator? That's an easy way to make fruit rollups. It's not a fail for sure...keep on experimenting.
ReplyDelete