How To Make Apple Chips in the Oven

How To Dry Apple Chips in the Oven (500x334)Apples  have always been my choice of something to snack on. I absolutely love the crunch and juiciness of each bite. When I was a nursing student, I was a very busy girl, since I also worked on a Pediatric unit in a local hospital, taught Sunday school and sang in a band. Most days I felt like I lived in the car. It became a habit of mine to have a bag of apples riding along with me in the passenger seat. Those apples disappeared mighty quickly.

My Dad is so thoughtful, he would often remember how I enjoyed my apples and many times I would find a new bag of apples sitting there winking at me in their usual spot. My Dad has always been like that, showing us in many ways that he cared about us and was thinking about us. He would never actually tell us about his little acts of kindness, but let us discover it on our own. I can still picture that pleased smile he would get when we happily thanked him once again. We all still talk about how many times we would start driving and suddenly realize that the gas tank was magically full or scratch our heads wondering if the car WAS this clean to begin with, or did Dad quietly wash it again? Even though there were six of us, he knew the quirks of every single one of us and made us feel like the “favorite child”, even though we all perceived it that way:).

Apples were always a big part of our family when I was growing up. As many of you already know, my parents own a gorgeous property in upstate NY and I grew up with 100 acres to explore. They have many different kinds of apple trees on their property and every fall we would have an abundance of these crisp beauties to figure out how to put into use. Our kitchen was buzzing with activity, with all of us peeling apples, cutting apples, and even climbing the trees picking them. Our favorite treat was Apple Sharlotka (Russian apple cake) and my Mom’s famous Apple Bulochki (soft yeast rolls with an apple filling). We put those apples to good use, canning jars and jars of applesauce and apple filling.

However, the best way to use up of a huge amount of apples is to dry them into apple chips. Talk about an awesome snack! Once you start eating them, it’s hard to stop; they are so addicting. They are a great healthy snack to have around the house and a perfect option for road trips and lunch boxes. My parents had a fancy dehydrator that was incredible, but I’ve learned to make them without any additional equipment. The method is so ridiculously easy, I’m not even calling it a recipe.

Ingredients:

Apples

Preheat the oven to 200-230 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

Wash the apples and slice them very thinly. This would be the perfect time to use a mandolin. You can take out the core with the seeds and peel the apples, but I don’t. I think the slight red tinge around the border of the apple chips is beautiful and the little stars in some of the chips delightful. Since the apples are SO thin, you don’t even feel the hardness of the core at all. The seeds will easily come out. IMG_8054 (500x334)Place the apple slices in one single layer on the prepared baking sheet.

IMG_8056 (500x334)Bake the apples for about an hour, flip them over to the other side and bake for another hour. If you like your apples to be super crispy, bake them for an hour and a half on each side. IMG_8059-2 (500x334)As you can see, the apples shrink considerably. You need A LOT of apples for a decent batch. You will only get a handful from two large baking sheets, but come on! It’s so easy to make them, less than 5 minutes of hands on work, slide them into the oven and away you go on your merry way.

Cool the apple chips. They will become harder as they cool. Store in a sealed bag or container.

Apple Chips (500x334)

How To Dry Apple Chips in the Oven (500x334)

 

How To Make Apple Chips in the Oven
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Miscellaneous
Ingredients
  • Apples
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 200-230 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Wash the apples and slice them very thinly. This would be the perfect time to use a mandolin. You can take out the core with the seeds and peel the apples, but I don't. I think the slight red frames the apple chips beautifully and the little stars in some of the chips are so delightful. Since the apples are SO thin, you don't even feel the hardness of the core at all.
  3. Place the apple slices in one single layer on the prepared baking sheets.
  4. Bake the apples for about an hour, flip them over to the other side and bake for another hour. If you like your apples to be super crispy, bake them for an hour and a half on each side.
  5. Cool the apple chips. They will become harder as they cool.
  6. Store in a sealed bag or container.

20 Comments

  • Mariya

    I know what you mean about your dad. My dad is exactly the same way! We even packed lunch and put it in the trunk of the car when I went to college, and on the break we would go to get a drink and there was food!!! 🙂 I love apple chips!!! I tried making them once but the recipe I used was like 6 hours…. I gave up after 2 batches:( I will try this way for sure, thank you!

    • olgak7

      6 hours is too long! You would need to make apple chips for days to get a decent amount. I hope this recipe works out for you.
      Your Dad sounds like a really caring guy too. It’s such a blessing to have a wonderful father. My parents have always been my heroes and I am so thankful to GOd that I was born into their family.

  • Irina Nieshte

    Thanx Olga, my dad just gave me whole big bag of apples 🙂 I made Sharlotka, made kampot, and now I wanna dry them , I love apple chips 🙂

  • Julia | JuliasAlbum.com

    I would eat these kind of chips any day! So crunchy and refreshing! And I have so many apples right now, might as well make some apple chips!

  • Galya

    Olga, I went apple picking with my kids a couple of weeks ago & was breaking my head as to what to do with all the apples… Now I know!! Thank you so much for the suggestion 🙂

  • Natasha (@NatashasKitchen)

    I’ve been wanting to make those, but my apples keep on getting eaten before I have a chance to make apple chips :).

  • inna

    Hi Olga
    Cant wait to try these out. My grandma makes kvass with dried apples and these will be perfect for it. How long can they be stored?

    • olgak7

      Inna, I’m not exactly sure how long they can be stored, since they never last longer than a few days at our house. I’m pretty sure they can be stored for quite some time though.

  • Kristina l

    Hello Olya! I tried making these today I made them very thin I guess almost paper thin. And keep them in the over for 230 for an hour they burnt 🙁 and were stuck to the paper..I guess my question is how thin do I need to cut them? I really wanta try making them again 🙂

    • olgak7

      It really depends on your oven, Kristina. You can try cutting the apples a little thicker next time, but you’ll still have to watch them to see how crisp you want them to be.

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