Apple Chips
I am ready to plug back in! Not only to the computer, but to more mindful eating! It has been a crazy 2 weeks – full of distractions, parties, feasting, playing, socializing, working, and eating. As fun as it all is, isn’t it nice to be back into a routine again.
Today’s idea is apple chips! For some kids (and parents) with fruit texture issues… this one is for you. My flip-flopper does not like cooked fruit, but crunchy or crispy she can handle. So we sliced up some apples to make into apple chips.
- First boil apple juice with either a cinnamon stick or cinnamon.
- Then we sliced apples as thinly as possible. (crosswise so the core was in the center. No need to seed it, they just fall right out). My Fruit and Veggie Knife produces a perfect slice for this recipe.
- Then we boiled the apples in the apple juice till they were somewhat transparent.
- Then we took the apple slices out of the boiling juice, and patted them dry.
- I laid them on a cookie rack (the kind you cool cookies on) and placed the entire rack in the oven at 200 degrees.
- We baked for about 1 hour. Then we flipped them over and baked for another hour! Only bake until they are slightly browned. Oven times may vary.
- Final product: Delicious apple chips!! So much tastier than potato chips.
Apples are great to include in your families diet. Apples are:
- A great source of fiber! Fiber not only helps to keep kids full till the next meal, but also helps them to stay regular.
- While apples are a good source of sugar, it actually regulates blood sugar, rather than creating spikes and drops. The polyphenols in the apples have been shown to do this.
- Consuming apples actually improves the bacteria in the gut. This provides a metabolic change in the intestines, leading to more health benefits! (I love this as bacteria has been shown to be a significant influence on health! (source)
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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Interesting! My son is a flip-flopper with apples. This might be a way to get him to eat more apple during those times when he’s decided that he doesn’t like them.
What a great idea!! And simple, too! We’ll definitely be trying this out at our house. Thanks!
Cathy, I bet he does like it. The crunchiness takes away texture issues for most kids I think.
I hope you like it. They took a good 45 minutes to dry out in the oven… but I didn’t towel dry them first, so hopefully it wouldn’t take that long.
Mmm, can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
It looks great! In our country, we put pear and crystal sugar together(no need to add any water), and steam it untail the water oozed from the pear. The “pear water” can improve the symptom of cough, especially when women who were pregnant and not allow to take medicine. This is a tranditional therapy.
I tried this today and it did not work! I don’t know what I did wrong but the apples were wrinkled up and some were crispy with no flavor and some were all mushy still. I cut the apples with my mandolin so there were all the same thickness! I was so disappointed because we were really looking forward to them! So it anybody has any tips to make it better I’d love to hear them!!
Hi Caiti,
It’s literally been so long since I made these, I can’t remember the details. I’ll try them again and let you know if I can think of any tricks we used. It seems like the apples we’ve been getting from the store lately haven’t been very sweet. If you are starting with apples that have good flavor, I think adding a little extra cinnamon might help them be more flavorful. If anyone else follows up on this post, I’ll let you know though.
I think with most things I experiment with, it takes a few times to get it the way I like it, so maybe just trying them a few more times is the key?!?
[…] Apple Chips […]
[…] Apple Chips […]
How delicious and easy – and no preservatives. I might add a bit of stevia to the apple juice depending upon how sweet the apples are….
MMMM, Apple Chips, sounds easy and also tasty. Thanks.
My son will be starting school this September. I am soo worried about the “junk food” but these chips seem like the answer to my prayers! Will definitely try them. He loves apples anyway but this would be better then the bagged potato chips!
Good luck Sara! These may take a few times to get it right, but it’s worth it!
Quick question…
Do you have to boil the apples first or could you just bake them? What does the boiling do? Are the nutrients lost in the boiling process?
Thanks 🙂
Kim- it’s embarrassing- It’s one of those things that “my mom always did it that way, so I do too”… not sure why we’ve done it like that! Maybe it’s sweeter, maybe there’s less discoloring, or oxidizing? Some nutrients will always be lost in the boiling process.
Hi, Is the recipe in Fahrenheit or celcious degrees?
Fahrenheit
I made these today! I used a cookie sheet and parchment paper for one batch and cooling racks for another. The cookie sheet method worked best for me. These were SO yummy, the kids wanted more! AND the house smells fabulous!!
Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks for the feedback Trish! Glad they turned out.
Great blog here! Also your site loads up very fast!
What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host?
I wish my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol
Could you do this with a pear??
Could you do this with a pear??
Mmm.. pear sounds amazing! I’ve never tried it, but it worked for this blogger:
http://fingerprickingood.com/2013/10/11/cinnamon-pear-chips/#
Thank you!!
I’ve made without the boiling part – just slice, season with stevia and cinnamon, bake 30 minutes, flip, bake another 30 minutes at 200.
I put them on a lightly sprayed cooky sheet and then cool on the wire rack. Makes my mouth water just typing this in…yummy.
Thank you SO MUCH or this recipe! I did the version without boiling the apples first because I didn’t have apple juice and it worked perfectly! My baby munched them with a lot of enthusiasm 🙂 I’m trying a batch of pears now…
Awesome @marion- How did your pears turn out?
I made these just by thinly cutting the Apples then puttig in the over on 250 for about 1.5hrs. However, the next morning they were all mushy and lost their crunchy texture. The humidity is very high where I live so I’m sure this is the reason why. Is there anything I can so the apple chip don’t go limp?
Jenn- Yes, I live in the desert, so it could be very different. But what are you storing your apple chips in overnight?
I’ve changed my mind about storage, and have found for us, storing in a brown paper bag so the moisture can escape.
How do you store them and how long will they last?
They didn’t work as well as the apples. They don’t go as crispy. Fun experiment, though 🙂
We keep them in brown paper bags. They do lose their cripness a bit, but we eat them within a few days.
We live on the coast and have a problem with humidity, too. I put the apples in an air-tight glass container and they lasted very well for most of the week. The pears didn’t make the night 😛
Great! I would love to try it.
It looks so delicious, I can’t wait to have a try. Thanks for sharing.
I love apples and I really appreciate this recipe. thanks!
looks so delicious, I can’t wait to have a try. Thanks for sharing.
They don’t go as crispy. Fun experiment, though
The best philosophy is to change your food habits to a low-sugar, high-fibre diet,apples are very nourishing fruit
Thanks for the great recipe!
Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for sharing.
Hope you enjoy!
Excellent snack! My parents used to make similar dried apple slices. They weren’t as crispy as yours, but still delicious. However, I have to try your recipe as I prefer them crunchy as well.
Thanks for sharing!