You can really tell that it’s summer when the farmer’s market starts up. There’s nothing better than farm fresh fruits and veggies (and those delicious sausage breakfast sandwiches for brunch).
It was at the Lacombe farmer’s marker two weeks ago when inspiration struck. While perusing the stalls of local honey, fresh bread, and various seasonal vegetables, we stumbled across a stall selling apple chips. We bought a bag for $5 and ate so many they barely made it home.
The next week we returned and bought a bag of fresh Pink Lady apples from the same vendor with the intention of making our own apple chips.
My mom, sister, and I have made apple chips before and they’re the perfect summer snack. It’s been a bit of a process each time as we tweak the recipe:
One early attempt resulted in paper-thin apple slices that stuck to the tray while baking.
Another had more cinnamon than apples.
A particularly memorable attempt was made by my roommate in our college dorm where she spent nearly 5 hours baking a single tray of apples only for them to turn out both soggy and burnt (we blame the finicky oven).
This time, we think we have finally perfected the recipe. Our recipe is listed and the end of this post but first I’d like to share and few tips and tricks for making the perfect apple chips.
3 Tips for Making Apple Chips
Start with the right apples
For our recipe, we use Pink Lady apples. Apples that are sweeter and crisper – like Pink Lady, Golden Delicious, and Honeycrisp – work best because they don’t require any extra sugar and hold up well to baking or dehydrating. But really, any baking apple will do. We’ve even had success baking the crab apples we grow in our backyard. Just be aware that the baking times may vary for different varieties.
Keep the slices consistent
The key to making perfect apple chips is to make sure your slices are a uniform thickness. This ensures that the apples bake evenly. We recommend using a mandolin to cut even slices but it is possible to get the same result with a knife. The ideal thickness is a few millimetres. Apples that are too thin tend to stick to the baking sheet. Apples that are too thick take a very long time to dry out.
Experiment with spices
Baked apples taste delicious on their own but they also taste amazing with some classic apple pie spices. Our personal favourite apple chips are just sprinkled with cinnamon but you can also try allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger or a combination of all of them!
Our Baked Apple Chip Recipe
- Yields: 3 apples-worth of apple chips
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1-2 hours
Ingredients
- Pink Lady apples, thinly sliced
- Cinnamon to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and core apples. Using a mandolin, slice them thinly (about 1-2mm in thickness).
- Spread the apples in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep the apples close together but not overlapping.
- Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon (or spices of your choice).
- Bake apples at 250F for 30 minutes or until edges are brown and slightly curling. Flip slices over and bake for another 30+ minutes.
Enjoy your delicious summer snack!
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