Healthy Snacking...Apple Chips

Nothing says "fall" like apples!  Around my house, we use them for everything:  desserts, breads, muffins, butter, sauce, soup, jelly, snacks.  Of course, apple season isn't complete until we've downed at least 2 gallons of cider.



This year, I decided to experiment with drying apples.  I always loved apple chips as a kid, downing bags of them at a time.  But now, as an adult, I usually can't eat them without having a heart attack over the price tag.  C'mon...$3.50 for a sandwich-sized baggie?  You have GOT to be kidding!!


Apple chips are the perfect guilt-free snack:  no greasy fingers, a satisfying crunch, sweetness, chock-full of nutrients, and low in calories.  Personally I'm not as concerned about the calorie count as much as getting my "3 a day" quota in for fruit servings...but some people are into the calorie-counting thing.  And as an added bonus, dried apples have a nice firm texture so you don't have to worry about that icky softness that some fresh apple varieties have.

So how do I make my own?  It's simple, really.  So simple that I can't imagine how I've gone so long without doing it.  All you need is a corer, a knife, some crystallized fruit preserver (a mix of vitamin C and sugar to prevent the apples from browning), an hour of time, and a food dehydrator.  If pressed, I suppose you COULD use the oven for drying, but most models don't have a temperature setting low enough not to burn them to a crisp.

1.  Wash, peel, and core the apples.  I usually do 3 or 4 at a time to stay ahead of the oxidation (browning) factor.  If I'm industrious with my spacing, I can get anywhere between 12 and 15 apples into my dehydrator's six drying racks.

2.  Cut the apples lengthwise, then slice each half into 4 or 8 slices, depending on how thick you want your chips to be.  Thinner slices are reminiscent of a potato chip, while thicker slices are more like a sweet jerky.   I've done both, and still can't decide which I like better!

3.  Soak the slices in a fruit preserving solution for 10 minutes.  Mix 2 quarts of water (8 cups) with 2 TBS granulated fruit preserver until dissolved.  Dump in the apple slices, and wait.  This will prevent the apples from browning, and act as a preservative.  This is usually when I start cutting up my next batch of apples.
 
4.  Remove the apples from the solution, drain, and place on the drying rack.  They can be as far apart, or as close together, as you wish.  So long as they're arranged in a single layer and not overlapping, it's all good.  If the apple slices are close together, it will take longer for them to dry...but only by a few hours.  If the slices overlap, parts of them won't dry properly and you could get mold growth.

5.  Dry the apples at 130 - 135 degrees F until dry and leathery.  Depending on the temperature, altitude, and humidity of the house, this will take anywhere between 6 and 48 hours.  Now my favorite part:  testing the apples to see if they're done!  Grab a few slices and eat them...fully dried apples should be leathery.  Thin slices should be crispy, while thicker slices should snap apart like jerky does.

6.  Allow apples to cool to room temperature, and store in an air-tight container.  Allowing the apples to cool prevents their container from getting condensation on the inside and re-hydrating the apples as they're being stored.  I like to keep my apples in a glass jar, or in a plastic bag.  They'll keep for awhile...exactly how long I can't say, because I always eat them within a week or two!

Enjoy!