Crispy Apple Chips

Has it really been almost a month since I last posted?  I guess that's what happens when I eat out every. single. day. and don't actually cook anything.  At least I can be pretty confident that if food supplies suddenly become scarce, that I'll be able to survive solely off of my winter fat stores.

In the spirit of the holiday season, a wonderful fall fruit (apples!!), and a light snack, I gave these apple chips a try.  Apple chips have long been a favorite snack of mine.  Growing up, we never had potato chips or other 'junk foods' in the house, but I was at least able to convince my parents of the apparent health benefits of apple chips to buy them.  If you've never tried them and want to sample it before making your own, I highly recommend these!  

You've probably had dehydrated apples before, but I promise that these are nothing like the chewy-and-tastes-too-healthy-to-hit-the-dessert-spot wholesomeness of dehydrated apples.  These are crispy, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and when made with an already delicious fresh apple, simply awesome.  T was initially skeptical of my apple experiment, but now he eats them so fast that I don't even get to them sometimes. 

I suppose that's a compliment.

So yes, the cook time for this takes a while, but most of it is just waiting.  Good to do if you're going to be around the oven anyway, not great if you're in a hurry or are in and out of the house.

Crispy Apple Chips with Cinnamon Sugar

:: mandoline slicer, or really awesome knife skills

:: juice of 1 lemon

:: 1 cup water

:: Pam or other cooking spray

:: 2-3 cookie sheets (as many as will fit in your oven at once)

:: 2-3 apples - I prefer Fuji, you can use any kind

:: cinnamon

:: sugar

Pre-heat oven to 225 F.

Mix lemon juice and water together - this helps prevent apple slices from browning prematurely.

Spray cookie sheets lightly with Pam.

Slice apples with mandoline into very thin slices.  The thinner, the quicker they will bake!  Soak in lemon water as soon as you slice them.

Spread apple slices apart 1 layer thick over cookie sheet.  Place in oven.  Flip every 30-40 minutes to ensure even baking.

Mix cinnamon and sugar together.  I have no idea how much I use (maybe start with 3 tbsp sugar, dump in cinnamon until it starts to taste good)!

Once the surface of apples no longer has obvious moisture, sprinkle cinnamon sugar over the surface, as much as you'd like!  Repeat on the opposite side after the next flip.  If you sprinkle too early in the baking process, the sugar dissolves...which is fine, but I like to have the granularity of the sugar crystals on the apples.

Bake about 2 hours or until COMPLETELY dry.  They will crisp up and snap in half instead of bending when ready.  The chips tend to be more pliable when warm, however, so you can let them cool to room temp before trying them out.

Let me know what you think!