Your New Favorite Snack

Brent and I went apple picking a few weeks ago. You know what that means; pinning a shit ton of apple recipes and then making nothing but the ol’ standby: apple crisp. And then the rest of the apples get all soft and mealy and it’s a sad day when you’re tossing out a dozen apples you had to lug around the orchard for your perfect fall Instagram picture. That’s usually what happens to me, anyway. So this year I’ve been overly conscious of those apples in my fridge in hopes they don’t die a sad, uneaten death. 

My newest addiction and solution to this problem: apple chips. They are ridiculously easy to make and once you pop you can’t stop. All you need is a mandoline, an oven and a sheet tray. And the apples, obvi. Seriously, that is it. If you’re feeling fancy you can sprinkle some cinnamon on top; what’s that, like five ingredients/tools, max? I think you can handle it.

There’s no actual recipe b/c it really is that simple, but I figured if some quick directions could help brighten someone’s fall, then my job as a blogger is done. You’re welcome. 

Homemade Apple Chips

Ingredients:

Apples. As many as your little heart desires. I usually slice up 3-4; it’s easier to just do a whole bunch at once so you don’t have to make them as often. Believe me, they go quickly.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 200F. 

Remove the sticker on your apples; this step is kinda important b/c if you don’t, you’ll have a whole pile of chips w/ a tiny sliver of the sticker on it and have to go back and remove said sliver off of like, twenty chips. This has definitely happened to me and it sucks.

Slice your apples to your desired thinness; personally, I like ‘em pretty thin. If they’re too thick, not only will they take waaaaay too long to dehydrate (ain’t nobody got time for that), they’ll never really get crispy. Then they’ll have a spongy texture, which is kind of off-putting. 

Spray a sheet pan w/ nonstick spray, or line w/ foil or parchment. Line your apple slices on the sheet, sprinkle w/ cinnamon/sugar (optional) and pop ‘em in the oven. They’ll probably be fine for hours on end, but if you’re a real stickler on time, I would check them after an hour or so. You can even flip them over if you want them to be nice and crispy. In total, they’ll probably need to bake for at least an hour. Depending on the thickness of the slice and how strong your oven is, they could be done quicker, but I usually forget about them until I hear Brent wander in the kitchen and exclaim how good it smells. Then I’m like, fuck yeah, apple chips! Trust me, that will be your reaction, too.

mandatory fall orchard shot

these actually were a little too thick and spongy, but I can't say no to a chance to play w/ my food