It’s hard to imagine a more sensory loaded experience than Autumn.
(except maybe an all boys sleepover birthday party. Just speculating).
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Some of you may recall our trip to the apple orchard last year for our September birthday boy.
A brilliant day in the outdoors with lots of gorgeous, crunchy apples just begging to be played with. Pies, purées, muffins and loaves, so many possibilities for transformation…
This year I wanted to try apple chips!
My first time making them and a happy experiment indeed. You will not need a dehydrator for these apple chips. Just your oven and a few spices if you wish (you can also leave them plain – equally delicious).
I highly recommend the use of a mandoline for slicing. You can do it by hand but unless you have the dexterity of a brain surgeon, it’s a bit of a trick trying to get the slices paper thin.
You can get a hand-held mandoline for about $20. In my view, it’s well worth it. I use mine quite often and find it extraordinary helpful. Not only will it make your job easier, you will accomplish the task in a fraction of the time. I created a tray full of apple slices in less than a minute!
Oven-Baked Cinnamon Nutmeg Apple Chips
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2 or 3 gorgeous, juicy, crunchy apples of choice (I used McIntosh)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg, (if you’ve never tasted a fresh grated nutmeg seed – it’s a must try…)
- 1/8 tsp allspice
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Directions:
Heat oven to 225 F.
Using a mandoline (preferred) or a sharp knife, slice washed apples as thin as possible. Discard seeds if you like (I find them fairly innocuous).
Place sliced apples on a parchment covered baking sheet (or two baking sheets if needed), trying to separate them out as much as possible (if they overlap, they will not crisp up as well).
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine: cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and allspice. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over apples and place the tray on the upper rack of the oven for about 1 hour. Remove tray from oven and carefully flip apples. Sprinkle with remaining spice mixture or leave plain, as desired. Return tray to oven for another hour or until the apples look gently browned and are beginning to curl around the edges.
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| I flavoured one side of the apples with spices and left the other side plain – the pictures show the plain side |
Remove tray from oven and allow apple chips to cool slightly before enjoying.
We found most of the apples curled and crisped nicely. But not all. A few of them were on the chewier side but these too were tasty – like a healthier version of apple/fruit leather.
You might also enjoy last year’s creation, maple-ginger pumpkin purée over apples:
Kelly, your photos look like from a professional cookery book! If I had apples, I would run to prepare some chips now because I have tasted only commercial ones and I still loved them, so I know home-made must taste 100x better. Tonight is my snack and cocktail night (the beginning of the weekend), so they would be so welcome… Thank you, Kelly for the inspiration. I will make them at 200%!
PS Please forgive me my late comments… I have been on last-minute holidays and have completely lost my mind there.
I found a dehydrator at Value Village about a month a ago and was very excited, I have done plain apples, but this sounds wonderful. I also dehydrate bananas and they turn out great as well. I have some pears at the moment I am going to try along with some tomatoes for the winter.
I love the idea of making your own apple chips – they’re so pretty and a great snack for the kids.
I bet the nutmeg is fabtastic on these chips. What a great idea!
I need to try this. I’ve seen a few recipe floating around and we’re always looking for a light snack. Beautiful Kelly. As always, your recipes are simplicity at is best.
These look so great and not overly challenging to make. Apples are one of my favorite fiber-rich fall foods. The more recipes the better! :)
These look fabulous and you do make it look so easy! Glad it can be done in the oven because I sold my 30 years old dehydrator in the garage sale this summer. :) Just wasn’t using it enough and it took up A LOT of space. Can’t wait to try this delicious looking crisps! Hope you are enjoying the first week of fall!
Oh! Thank you for the reminder of the maple-ginger pumpkin puree! Mmmm! An all boys sleepover?! Ack! I was just thinking to myself this afternoon (with a house full of neighborhood boys running all over the place) that I remember at one point in time I wanted three boys. Then I wondered what the house would sound like then. LOL. I can just imagine a sleepover. I would need days to recover afterward no doubt. I love your apple chips and happy birthday to your September boy. September is a GREAT month for birthdays if I do say so myself. And I don’t know what I’d do without my mandoline. Lovely little device. :)
I love that – gorgeous, juicyand crunchy apples of choice. These sounds great and I would like the soft and chewy ones too.
Forget potatoes, these apple chips look way more incredible :D
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Now I’ll have to buy a mandoline for these chips. Yum!
Ditto on the mandoline. If you don’t tell anyone, I confess to having four mandolines. Four. I need therapy.
beautiful recipe, as usual… I could grab one chip from the screen and munch with a big smile
This is just the kind of recipe I needed to see. With a ton of apples still left on the tree, I’ve been looking for a nice recipe that wasn’t a pie, or tart. Can’t wait to try these, Kelly!
What a simple, easy, fall recipe … They’re beautiful :-)
I like your recipe, it s a bit different then what I have seen. What I like is the addition of all spice and the nutmeg. Nutmeg makes one nice sleepy here, so those apple chips will be nice at nights.
Loving this idea! Wonder if I could get my hubby to enjoy a healthier chip like this too.
:-) Mandy
I’ve never tired making dried apples because I thought they had to cook for a whole day or something, hehe. But since it’s only a couple hours of my time I may just have to make them. Yours came out beautifully! Happy birthday to the birthday boy!
What a creative way to enjoy the savory taste of fresh apples in the fall. You’ve peaked my interest. Frst – got to find a mandoline!
Lynn
I have been thinking to make some dried apple rings with the apples we picked from my parents-in-law’s garden. The chips look great!