This recipe for Crunchy Apple Chips is sponsored by Ontario Apple Growers, who I love for their wide variety of delicious local apples.
I have a serious love of apple chips. Slightly sweet, crunchy, chips that are actually good for you. I mean really, what's not to like?
The only thing I don't like about apple chips is that I can eat an entire batch in approximately 7 seconds. 2 hours of baking, gone in 7 seconds. Gah! Good thing baking them is super duper easy. Just slice, and pop in the oven. They take a long time to bake, but you don't need to keep an eye on them, so it gives you plenty of time to work on other projects while your house fills up with sweet apple scents. Ooh la la!
I did several rounds of testing with these chips because I wanted to find out the secrets of how to make them extra crunchy. While chewy apple fruit leather type chips are ok, I'm all about the crunch. Here are the secret tips that get the best crunchiest result.
Crunchy apple chips secrets:
- Cut the apples as thinly and evenly as possible. I highly recommend using a mandolin if you have one. If you are using a knife, it can be helpful to cut a slice off the side of the apple, giving it a flat side to rest on, making the apple easier to cut without it rolling around.
- Use small apples. I just found smaller apples easier to work with as they fit better into my mandolin. They also cook a bit faster.
- Baking apple chips is a slooooowwwww process. You bake them at 225F for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours. I tested speeding up the process by baking them at 250F but more often than not it resulted in some apples being mushy, while others were burnt. So trust this slow process. The good thing is you don't even really need to keep an eye on them. Just set a timer and you're good to go work on other tasks.
- Finally just let them chill in the oven. Once you have baked them until they are dry and leathery feeling, turn off the oven and crack open the oven door. Let them cool in there. This will result in the crunchiest of crunchy apple chips, getting every last drop of moisture out, without the risk of burning them.
Feel free to play around with different apple types. Any variety of apple works for this, and they all provide a slightly different taste and texture. I picked up every Ontario apple I could find in the grocery store and tested them all out. Each and everyone was absolutely divine!
To make Crunchy Apple Chips: thinly slice the apples, and brush off any seeds or stems. Lay them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Make sure you slice them as thinly and evenly as possible. Using a mandolin for this really helps.
If you like, sprinkle the chips with cinnamon sugar mix, just plain cinnamon, or even pumpkin pie spice! Yum yum.
Bake low and slow, for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours until the chips feel dry and leathery. Turn the oven off, crack open the door and let the chips cool in the oven to finish crisping up.
Store them in an air-tight container for up to a week. They may lose crunchiness the longer you keep them), so I recommend snacking on them freshly made.
Extra Crunchy Apple Chips
Ingredients
- 3 - 4 small apples, , any variety!
- Cinnamon, white sugar, or pumpkin pie spice, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 225F (110C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a mandoline or knife to cut the apples as thinly and evenly as possible. Brush off any seeds or stems. Lay out the apple slices in a single layer so they aren't overlapping. If desired sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, which you can mix with a bit of white sugar for extra sweetness if you wish.
- Bake for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours until apple slices feel dry and leathery. Turn off the oven and crack open the oven door, and let chips cool completely in the oven to crisp up.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
J says
What am I doing wrong? They burn or they’re soggy. Not crispy at all.
Huong nguyen says
Thank you Sam
Great recipe. Can’t wait
Madison Nobles says
If you do t use parchment paper will it effect the results
Sam Turnbull says
The chips will stick to the pan and will be very difficult to remove, so yes, it will.
Caryn says
Thanks Sam for the recipe. A great place to find get apples is directly from an Ontario farm. Visit OntarioFarmFresh.com to find one near you!
Sam Turnbull says
I went to an ontario apple farm with Ontario Apple Growers. It was fab!
Chef Sous Chef says
These are awesome. What a great snack!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes they are so scrumptious!! 🙂
Martha C says
Sam! I love you!! I just tried my first Apple Chips...o.m.g. Even sweeter than the raw apple. Going to the store for more apples right now.
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Yay!! So happy you loved them too. 🙂
Martha C says
Oh yum! Can't wait to try this! What a great alternative to fried chips. Thanks again for another brilliant idea!
Sam Turnbull says
You're very welcome Martha! I hope you love them as much as I do 🙂