Baked Apple Chips!

Make your own apple chips at home in the oven! My grandmother always made apple and banana chips with a dehydrator, and they were amazing... so I had to figure out how to do it my own way! Perfect for after school snacks or on road trips.

These chips are thin sliced, soaked in a simple syrup and baked low and slow.

The prep time is around 15 minutes, and cook time is 1 to 1 1/2 hours. This recipe makes about 50 chips.

Step 1 Three simple ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large apples or 3 small ones (I recommend gala, braeburn, or fugi)

That's it! You can spice your apples with cinnamon or cloves if you like, but I like them just as they are.

As far as hardware, you'll need:

• baking sheets
• parchment paper
• a small pan to make the simple syrup in
• a mandoline or a sharp knife and a cutting board
• tongs (though chopsticks would work too)
• an oven set to 250 F

Comments

[CJSudduth]

can you do this with all kinds of fruit?? I like catching strawberries & bananas on sale... I am sure this is much cheaper than buring the mixes at the grocery store..

[jessyratfink]

You definitely can! With both bananas and strawberries, you need to set the oven as low as it will go. Bananas need to cook for an hour or two, but strawberries need much longer.

I'd leave out the simple syrup for these and toss them in a little lemon juice instead.

[farmerboyk]

hmmm....What about instead of an oven using a dehydrator? Im making some with a dehydrator and I want to know can I do what you did in here but without the oven?

[jessyratfink]

With the dehydrator I'd leave the sugar out of the equation. :)

Also, totally wish I had a dehydrator.

[AussieAnglerGal]

these look so great!

[bigbearswife]

I can't wait to try these! I bet they are the perfect snack!

[bdatkins]

My wife has gestational diabetes and I am worried about the added sugar. Do you suppose that it would be possible to make the syrup with Splenda?

[laguilar2]

Check out a natural sweetner called "xylitol". you can get it at most grocery stores in their healthy/natural living section. It's made from a plant and has a low glycemic index. you can use it alot lot sugar but may need to "bump it" about 25%. the internet also has lots of information you can read about it first.

[jessyratfink]

Making the syrup with Splenda would be very tricky - I'm afraid the taste would be off because it is so much sweeter than normal sugar. Getting the ratio of water and Splenda right could be tricky, I think.

You can definitely make them without the syrup, though. Just slice them and bake as normal without the syrup. You might need to bake them a little longer without the extra sugar to help crisp them up though - just keep an eye on them and you'll be fine! :)

[Anianna]

I second making dried apples without syrup. We have a couple of apple trees and we use one of those apple/corer/slicers for easy, even, core-free slices. We just pop them in a dehydrator or in the oven without adding a thing and we love them (we being me, my hubby, and my four kiddos). If you make a lot, you can freeze them for long-term storage, too. We do that so we have apple chips in the off season without having to buy apples.

Honey and sugar are both antimicrobial, so you could even dehydrate fruit in the sunshine safely using a syrup. Heck, there may be enough natural sugar content in the apples to dehydrate safely in the sun without anything extra, but adding some honey or a sugar syrup would give me a little more peace of mind.

Also, the slices don't brown as much if you dip them in lemon before dehydrating. :)

[cheshiresgrin]

Can I just use maple syrup instead of simple syrup? Or should I make a simple syrup out of maple syrup and water and go that route?

[jessyratfink]

I'd definitely go half maple syrup and half water - I'm afraid straight maple syrup would be awful to work with and probably burn. :)

[Agrezort]

what if you use honey instead of sugar?

[jessyratfink]

Honey will definitely work here - making a simple syrup out of honey works just the same, and I bet clover or orange blossom honey would taste amazing!

[hjjusa]

There is a product called Stevia, I got a bag of it at Wally World on the baking isle, it has no sugar, the bag says the ratio is 1 cup stevia = 1 cup sugar. I've never cooked with it ( unless you count putting it in an ice tea maker as cooking ), But my mother and my sister both use it for cooking and it works fine.

[TXTCLA55]

Great insructabe. I saw this in the newsletter and needless to say I went out and bought some apples later. The end result was a very tasty treat the whole family enjoyed. Thanks for posting!

[Nanceejhb]

Hello New here and have 2 questions. One can a person double the recipe? And also what exactly is simple syrup? Thankyou.

[jessyratfink]

Very easily - just cut up more apples, but don't worry about making more syrup because you can reuse it! You'll just have to do it in multiple batches in the oven - too much moisture in there and the apples will never get crisp!

Simple syrup is basically very strong sugar water. It's equal parts sugar and water that's brought to a boil so the sugar dissolves.

[star folder]

If you used a corer before slicing, the apples would dry more evenly, as the center is open to the heat. Would be fun to eat, as they would be finger rings for young ones, or adults who like to play with their food. Stevia in a tiny amount, about a quarter teaspoon would work in place of sugar, as it does not get bitter with long term heat. A dash of lemon juice to water will help to keep the apples from turning dark. The next time I get the dehydrator out, I will have to try this. So far, pineapple has been wonderful.

[Teiki_Tora]

Looks good, I will give it a go.

[kellimaier]

very nice!
I am wondering how long the apples will keep and how long the syrup will keep in the fridge.

[jessyratfink]

The apple chips can keep for a couple of months. :)

The simple syrup will keep for around the same amount of time. I've had people tell me it'll keep for much longer, but I don't normally keep it for any longer than three. If you get any crystallization or molding, it's time to go. :P

[kellimaier]

ok..thanks and thanks for the instructable!

[zvizvi]

mmmm, this looks yummy. I guess ginger could go nice here, coconut milk, perhaps even saffron... Will definitely try this out as soon as I get an oven :P

[jessyratfink]

I was thinking about adding a little something to the simple syrup next time - ginger was one of the first things I thought of!

[FacesByHaleh]

Yum! I'll have to try this recipe. Are they CHEWY? or Crispy?

[jessyratfink]

They can turn out either way - it's all up to how long you cook them. :)

I like mine more crispy so I always slice them as thin as I can and let them cook all the way. But if you like them chewy you can cook them to the point you want.

[aimeee]

I made these today and they came out delicious! Thank you for sharing!

[jessyratfink]

Good to hear - I'm so happy you liked them. :D

[MsJaxFla]

I am making these today to take along to snack on in St. Augustine tomorrow for the fireworks. Thanks for the wonderful recipe and such a great idea for a long day trip.

[Gretagum]

I can't wait to try this. :)

[kuato]

I bet they would be awesome(er) with a little cinnamon sprinkled on them before baking :)

[mary candy]

I love fruit chips ;)

[krisichi]

What temperature did you set your oven?

[jessyratfink]

250 F. :)

[ChrysN]

Cool, I love apple chips. Can you make it without the syrup?

[jessyratfink]

You definitely can, but I love them with the syrup because they get extra crunchy. :)