Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips are the reason fall was invented, I’m just sure of it.
If for no other reason than to enjoy the aroma of apples baked in lemon juice and cinnamon, you need to make these. Your house will turn into an autumn wonderland, especially with tart apples like Granny Smith. If Cinnamon Baked Apple Chips aren’t fall, then I don’t know what is. And while I like pumpkin, every now and then I need another autumn food to enjoy. Apples baked in cinnamon will do the trick, as will this Homemade Apple Cider.
Full disclosure: I am eating apple chips literally right now as I write this. And I don’t mean literally as in someone is “literally on fire” when clearly they are not. No, I mean there are Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips at my desk right now. I’m sneaking bites in between paragraphs in real time.
However, in spite of what is a delicious, crunchy, chippy taste, you may be wondering whether baked apple chips are easy to make. For example, should you first enroll in culinary school or buy 500 supplies to make these happen? No and no.
I played around with different slicing options and finally settled on a mandolin slicer, using the simple flat blade. I thought the apple slices would come out too thick, and while they did come out thick, they were perfect for baking. As the slices bake, they lose their moisture and become thinner, so erring on the side of thicker may be better.
As for a few other hacks I discovered? To evenly distribute the lemon juice on the apples slices, I tossed the apples by hand in large bowl. I also combined the salt and cinnamon in a separate dish, blending them together with a fork. Then I drizzled the mixture over the apples and tossed again by hand. Super easy.
So what is the catch? These take a long time to bake. I went a full four hours because I wanted my chips to be super crispy-crunchy. Soggy chips make me as sad as dry cookies do. Just. No.
To make these, I set the oven for 200 degrees and baked them for 90 minutes. Then I flipped them over and baked another 90 minutes, for a total of three hours. Finally, I baked them for another hour, checking every 15 minutes. This last hour was more for experimentation to see what texture and consistency I preferred. You may not need or desire to bake your chips that long, however plan for three hours and go from there.
In spite of the long baking time, this is not a tricky recipe to make. An oven will not deter us, Spiriteds. These are too good to pass up. Truthfully, at the start of the baking process, I set the apple slices on lined cookie sheets, making sure not to overlap them, slid them in the oven, and walked away. I got ALL THE THINGS DONE during that time, and the house smelled amazing. Maybe that’s why I was so productive in those four hours. The house smelled like cinnamon, apples, a hint of lemon, and autumn.
More of that, please.
Let me also share that as the chips sit at room temperature post-baking, they WILL continue to dry out. So if you pull your chips out of the oven, and they are still holding a little extra moisture in them, let them sit on the counter for a while, and they’ll continue to firm up and dry out. Absolute perfection.
And should you bake more batches? Perhaps doubling or tripling the recipe? Please do. It’s really the only wise option. As is serving your apple chips with Fruit Salsa. Oh, yes, fruit salsa full of strawberries, mangos, cilantro, onion, oranges, and a hint of lime. Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips and Fruit Salsa are meant to be together.
Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips are in hand, cinnamon lingers in the kitchen, and fall is in the air.
This. Is. Living.
Baked Cinnamon Apple Chips
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 apples (I like Granny Smith)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse and core each apple.
- Using a mandolin, slice each apple (much like you would an onion).
- In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice.
- In a separate dish, combine the cinnamon and sea salt. Blend together with a fork to break down any chunks of sea salt.
- Drizzle cinnamon/sea salt mixture over the apples and toss by hand until apple slices are evenly coated.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper and top with apple slices, making sure not to overlap the apples.
- Bake at 200 degrees for 90 minutes.
- Turn the apple slices over and bake an additional 90 minutes.
- Check after three hours and bake for up to an additional hour, if desired.
Notes
Depending on your oven and how many baking sheets you are using, you may want to rotate your sheets throughout the baking process (or at the end of the first 90 minutes) to ensure an even baking process.
Leave a Reply