Baked Apple Chips

I am always trying to get that sweet husband of mine to eat more fruits and veggies. It has been an ongoing battle challenge for years now. He willing eats what I put on his plate, but he hasn't gotten to the point where he goes out of his way to get them on his own.

To his credit, he willingly eats raw carrots, raw or cooked green beans, and baked beans. He even asks for them now :)

But fruit is still another story. He'll eat dehydrated fruit, but I don't always have time to make it/babysit the dehydrator.(No one likes overly dried fruit, and yes there is such a thing.) Store bought dehydrated fruit- particularly banana chips,  is often fried in a palm or coconut oil before it's actually dehydrated. Icky and not healthy!

A few years ago I introduced Jon to the world of baked apple chips. I have a few recipes, but the one I am going to share today is one of his favorites. It's one of the few fruit things he asks for every fall.

These are really simple, don't be scared by the lengthy instructions. There are only about 15-20 minutes of hands on prep work, the rest is either soaking or baking.

Oh hey! Before we bake some apple chips- let's see what Flat Stanley has been up to this week shall we?

Button Angels!

I caught him in my button collection making button angels the other day. His explanation? With no snow in southern Georgia he can't make snow angels, so he improvised.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Baked Apple Chips

3 medium apples
1 cup water
1/2-2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a medium sized pot with a lid- combine the sugar, water, and cinnamon. Bring to simmer. Stir to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.Set aside.

Core apples. (I have an apple coring tool, but you can use a paring knife to cut out just the core. You want the apples to remain whole.)

On a mandolin or with a sharp knife- slice the apples into 1/16 inch thick rings.

Put the apples into the warm syrup. Gently press the apples down so they are all coated well. Place the lid on the pot. Let the apples soak for 10 minutes.

Line two large sheet pans with foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

Remove the apples from the syrup one at a time, shaking off the excess. Line them up on the baking sheets. Don't overlap the slices.

Place oven racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 250.

Set one pan of apples on each rack. Bake for 30 minutes. Rotate pans so the top pan becomes the bottom pan and the bottom pan becomes the top. Bake 30 minutes. Flip all the apples over. Return to oven for 15-20 minutes longer.

The apples should be lightly browned. Once they cool, they will be nice and crisp.

Allow to cool completely before storing in a paper bag.

***Save the apple infused syrup for another batch of apples in the fridge OR use it to sweeten hot or cold tea.***