Dried Apple Chips

I can’t really call these chips, because they didn’t really dry to a crisp. However, they had great flavor, a great chewy texture, and tasted just like dried fruit snacks you would get at the store!

I first saw this recipe a while back when it was first featured in Tastespotting. I love eating dried fruit. Dried apples and bananas were always my favorites.

The original recipe called for coring the apples using a melon baller (which I didn’t have), and slicing with a mandolin slicer. I had the slicer, but I thought it would be easier to use the all in one apple/corer/slicer I had, even though the slices would be thicker.

Dried Apple Chips
adapted from: Apple Pie, Patis, & Pâté

Ingredients:
1 cup (7 ounces / 200 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces / 200 grams) water
2 green apples, preferably a tart and crisp varietal such as Granny Smith (peeling optional)

Directions:
In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Cut the apples in half crosswise and core with a melon baller. Using a mandolin slicer, slice the apples crosswise into paper-thin rounds. (I sliced/peeled/cored with my apple peeler/slicer/corer.)

The rings will be connected. Slice it down on one side with a knife. Voila, rings!

Drop the sliced apples in the syrup immediately and heat gently for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the sliced apples cool in the syrup, at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 175ºF / 80ºC. (My oven is not digital. I set it to below “warm” setting and relied on my oven thermometer.)

Carefully remove the apple slices from the syrup and place gently on sheet pans lined with silicone mats or parchment.

Dry in the 175ºF / 80ºC oven until crisp, at least 2 hours. (Because my slices were thicker, it was in the oven for about 4 hours.)

Note: After about 4 hours, I sort of gave up. It was way too long for something to be in the oven! I took it out, let it sit at room temperature a bit. It dried up a bit more, but it was still wasn’t crispy. That was just a minor setback though. It still had a great flavor. It was a bit sticky from the sugar, and it was chewy. I will probably try this again with a mandolin instead.