Baked Apple Chips

Bought too many apples? Same. Use up some apples by making something different but oh-so-snackable: Baked Apple Chips!

Apple Picking

It was a tradition every fall. Take the kids on a field trip to Oak Glen and pick apples. It was exciting for them to fill that hand bucket to the top with all the pretty specimens.

This area of Southern California grows around 50 types of apples (I know, who would have thought that would be the case in SoCal). Of these varieties are some that don’t usually show up at grocery stores. Gravenstein, King David, Pink Pearl, and Vasquez are among the lesser-known types.

Cosmic Crisp, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious apples

Plenty of places will do the picking for you, in case you were wondering. This leaves more time to explore other things the orchards offer like apple tasting, candle dipping, and wool carding. Plus, fresh apple cider!

Now, my kids are young adults who are going to school and working full-time (proud of you, my darlings!). So I go apple picking with my gal pals. We like to go mid-morning in the middle of the week.

And it’s still hard to avoid buying too many apples.

One crispy baked apple chip held up to the light. It has a pretty star pattern in the middle where the seeds used to be.

Apple Chips

Yes, by all means, make apple pie, apple crisp, and applesauce. They are homey and delicious. And it will make your husband happy.

Also, make apple chips.

You’ve seen them in the checkout line at Target and your local grocery store. You know, the $5.99 bags of crispy apple chips that are half-filled with air. Those.

You can make those for a fraction of the cost. It’s fun and easy. An added bonus: your home will smell amazing while they bake.

I use a special slicer to get the slices paper-thin.

Mandoline Slicer

I’m sorry to tell you that you need another kitchen gadget. But this is one you really do need. It’s a mandoline.

My mom had one that she bought in Japan in the 1970s and still uses it today to make the best coleslaw in the world. Mandoline slicers are versatile and can be used on veggies and fruits to achieve paper-thin slices. Last year, I finally bought one on Amazon made by the German brand Borner.

It’s incredible.

A hand-held cutting guard comes with it, as well as multiple attachments to vary the width and cuts on whatever is being sliced. The blades are razor sharp so I also got some cut-proof kitchen gloves. I just need to remember where I put them.

Lessons Learned

Like cooking a good roast, the secret here is low and slow. It takes time but it’s mostly hands-off.
Every oven is different so gauge the crispiness of the chips at the 2-hour mark. They might be ready or they might need a little more time. Mine needed around 3 hours.
Make more than you think you’ll need. It’s hard to stop once you start eating them. Plus, they make for a yummy topping when crumbled on salads like this.

Hat Tips

Many thanks to Jessica Gavin and Cooking Classy for their apple chip recipes and clear instructions!