Remember all the varieties of rolled up sheets of fruity, chewy candy growing up?

Who doesn’t?! Finding one in my lunch box was one of the highlights of a school day. There were strips, cutouts, sheets, rolls and all of them were delicious!

Now you can make your own and it’s so much easier than you would think. The best part about that? You control what goes into it. No corn syrup, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives here, just fruit, some sugar and in this case, balsamic vinegar. Once you try this, you’ll never want to give yourself, or your kids, the store bought variety again.

This simple, all natural candy is a great way to use up leftover fruit and although I’ve mainly tried it out with berries, the varieties and flavor combinations are as endless as fruit pairings. Apple and cinnamon, apricots and orange, blueberries and lemon, just to name a few. This time, I ended up with a mixed berry fruit leather that I added balsamic vinegar to for a grown up take on a childhood treat, but I can’t wait to share more delicious flavors with you soon!

Balsamic Berry Fruit Roll Ups

12-14 strips

1 lb Mixed Berries (I used Strawberries and Blueberries)

1/4-1/3 cup Sugar

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar*

Preheat oven to 200°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Rinse and hull your berries, and in a small pot, heat the berries, sugar and vinegar on medium heat. Use desired amount of sugar based on personal preference and tartness of the fruit you are using. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. After about 10-15 minutes, purée the fruit and allow to simmer on low, about 25-30 minutes more, until the fruit mixture begins to thicken and become jammy.

Pour the fruit mixture onto the prepared pan and spread, using a spoon or spatula, into a thin layer, about 1/8 of an inch thick.

Bake in preheated oven for about 3 -4 hours, until the fruit has dried and becomes just a bit tacky to the touch. The timing depends on how much liquid is in your fruit, how long it stayed on the stove, and how thin it was spread on the parchment. I start checking it at about 2 1/2 hours to see how it’s faring . The edges will set before the center so be aware of that, but it should peel easily from the parchment paper once it’s ready.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Use a pizza cutter and cut into strips. You can also keep the parchment paper attached to the fruit leather by cutting deep enough to get through the paper for easier storage. Another option is to use cookie cutters and cut out fun shapes from the sheets. Get creative and enjoy!

*Note: the vinegar can be substituted with fresh lemon juice.