Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Red Prince Apples. All opinions are my own. Thank you for reading and supporting this blog!
So…I love chips. I love candy. And I love apples. Therefore I love baked apple chips three times more than I love any of those things. That’s sound logic… right? I bought these once from Costco and I had to physically restrain myself from eating the entire bag in one sitting. Since I rarely have the opportunity to buy these from Costco, and a bag of these from the grocery store is ridiculously overpriced, I thought I’d make my own baked apple chips at home.
BEST. IDEA. EVER.
Now I just need to be patient and bake these for two hours and I’ll be rewarded with sweet, crispy little chips that taste like candy but satisfy my need for crunch like chips.
Full of fibre, and sweet with absolutely no added sugar. Vegan and gluten-free.
It all comes down to which kind of apple you use.
A good indication is basically to pick a nice, crisp apple that’s sweet, but not too sweet, barely tart to keep the tastebuds happy, and with the right amount of deep apple-y flavour. If you pick overly sweet ones, I imagine they’ll bake up to be too sweet in the oven, like Golden Delicious apples might. Or even Royal Gala. Overly tart ones will be more like candy, and I’m sure they’d taste good but I don’t think it’d fulfill your heartfelt baked apple chip desires like these did. I can feel my lips pucker at the thought of eating granny smith apples or pink lady in baked chip form. No, no.
I tried baking these with Red Prince apples, and they’re like the Goldilocks of apples. Crisp. Robust. Satisfying for your sweet tooth yet not overwhelming.
When I was doing research for this post, I found out something that is probably common knowledge OR is assumed to be common knowledge so nobody mentions it. The apples you see in the grocery store have been stored in cold warehouses for up to a year before they end up in your mouth. UP TO A YEAR. I always wondered how we got apples out of season.
According to Nova Scotia Apples, you can essentially pause the maturing stage of apples by putting them in cold storage and controlling the atmosphere by reducing oxygen and increasing carbon dioxide. Did you know that they (the omnipotent “they”) also pump packaged foods like chips with nitrogen because it pushes out the oxygen so foods don’t go stale? The more you know!
What’s unique about Red Prince apples is that they’re intentionally stored for 4 months over the winter to mature, resulting in their complex flavour profile: sweet, barely tart, but crisp and crunchy. You could bake ’em, eat em fresh, fry them in some apple fritters, or whatever your heart desires (they have some of their own recipes here). These badboys are Canadian, grown around the Georgian Bay area (Thornbury specifically) and are available from January until June across Canada.
It makes me feel particularly proud as a Canadian to see that our country grows such beautiful and delicious produce. Not to mention that I grew up in a town along Georgian Bay so I feel like these are grown in my childhood backyard (not really, but let’s pretend).Â
If you’re thinking that two hours is too long to wait for these snacks, believe me when I say it’s worth it. The first batch I made was sacrificed for taste testing… and then I had to make another batch to photograph. Then…that batch disappeared too….er because I am an apple chip fiend also for taste testing. I think I ate about four apples worth of chips in one day at one point. Did I mention that I’m bad at self-restraint? They’re good.
Go make them.
Baked Apple Chips
Ingredients
- 1 Red Prince apple per person you can make two apples worth on two sheets at once in the oven, but you need to bake it for about an extra 30-45 minutes
Equipment:
- Mandoline slicer or mad slicing skills.
- Thick-bottomed baking sheet + silicone mat/parchment paper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200F.
- Slice apples very thin, about 1/16 of an inch. Arrange on lined thick-bottomed baking sheet, making sure that none overlap.
- Bake for 1 hour, flip slices, then bake for one more hour. Remove from oven and let cool to crisp. Store in an airtight container.
Jen says
They look yummy! You may not know the answer to this question since you are a self proclaimed apple chip fiend, but do you know how long they keep? -Thanks!
Lisa Le says
Jen that is a super good question. I’ve kept it in an airtight container so far for about 2 days before I couldn’t restrain myself from eating them. Honestly, as long as you really bake them so there’s absolutely no moisture left, I would say they last for at least a week (maybe more?) in an airtight container. But good luck keeping your fingers out, they’re SO ADDICTIVE.
Nicole says
I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me to make apple chips at home since I really love the store-bought ones. And since I have a mandoline, I really have no excuse not to give this a try. Now I just need to find the perfect apple. :-)
Lisa Le says
Hahah good luck! You could always experiment with the sweeter and more tart ones too XD
Allison @ Clean Wellness says
Wow! These look very simple and delicious. I’m currently looking for some new ways to use up apples that aren’t great to eat out-of-hand. Great idea!
Lisa Le says
Thanks for taking the time to comment Allison! These are great for using those bruised apples. I haven’t tried it with mealy/old apples either, but I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t crisp up nicely.
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
Ooooo I wonder if we have them at our Costco in Anchorage….Alaska…Canada…close enough ;) Though, I’m more of a Honeycrisp girl myself :D
Lisa Le says
Haha I’m not sure if they sell outside of Canada. But I’m sure Honeycrisp would be good, albiet a little sweeter than Red Prince. I’m sure you can experiment with different apples to see what you like best =) Thanks for visiting Katie!
Sarah says
I’ve been trying to make these at home and they never come out the way I have them in my mouth’s memory. But I’m going to follow this recipe and try again! I like to dust my apple chips with cinnamon…yum!
Lisa Le says
When in doubt, taste test! Ovens sometimes either run hot or cooler, so at the 2 hour mark, take one out, let it cool for about a minute or two on a plate, and taste. If it’s crunchy, then voilà ! SNACK TIME IS NOW TIME.
Nicole says
Oh my gosh, these look so tasty! I Want.
Lisa@ Cooking with Curls says
Oh wow Lisa, these look delicious!! I wish I could get those apples. :)
Crystal | Apples & Sparkle says
I love apple chips. I can’t wait to try your recipe. Pinned it! : )
Leslie says
I love apple chips! How easy are they too, right. Thanks for sharing. I found your pin on Pinterest.
Lisa Le says
Thanks for commenting =) I hope you try them out and let me know how they turned out!
Erika says
My mom bought me apples to make this but she got home too late so i have to wait. Its 12:14am and im itching to make these.
Lisa Le says
Sleep well and enjoy making these tomorrow! Hope you like em
Shareba @ In Search Of Yummy-ness says
I love the first photo on this post. It’s the leaning tower of apple chips! Seriously though, this recipe looks so easy I don’t think I’ll have to buy apple chips again. Thanks for linking up at Good Food Friday!
Lisa Le says
Haha thanks Shareba. It’s SO easy. One of the problems of being a food blogger is that I can barely justify buying store bought stuff anymore. #foodbloggerproblems amirite??? Haha
Shareba says
So true!
Matt Robinson says
These are so awesome Lisa. My sons would love these and they are so simply to make. And WAY healthier than buying them at the store. Your pictures are really fantastic too. Thanks and have a great weekend!
Lisa Le says
Thanks Matt! TBH I only know one brand of apple chips at the store and the ingredients list only apples in it, so I assume it’s made the same way as this. In any case though, these would be fun to make with kids and it’d definitely be cheaper =)
Lisa (@lybliss) says
Delish ! I’ve made crispy apply chips in my dehydrator – crispy as a potato chip, and I can tell you, Pink lady apples are perfect for these. I’ve never seen Red Prince apples over here in Australia, will keep a look out for them :-)
Courteney says
Oooh, great, and Aussie response! How long did you do them in the dehydrator?
Patti Carpenter says
Hi Lisa,
I think your baked apple crisps look yummy and I’m going to try them. I hope you are okay with the feedback on your website I’m going to make (well, there’s always the Delete button, right?). In your site, you say: “Or even Royal Gala. Overly tart ones will be more like candy, and I’m sure they’d taste good but I don’t think it’d fulfill your heartfelt baked apple chip desires like these ones did. I can feel my lips pucker at the thought of eating granny smith apples or pink lady in baked chip form.”
You should delete “ones” from “these ones” — it’s totally incorrect grammar. Your writing style is so fun and playful and enjoyable to read that I thought you’d want to fix this.
Happy Pinteresting.
Lisa Le says
Hi Patti!
Thanks so much for your comment. I had never heard of “these ones” being grammatically incorrect, but after a little research on the Internets, huzzah, you are correct! Apparently it’s common to hear in spoken English, but in written English, “these ones” is awkward and is redundant since “these” already refers to a previously mentioned object, rendering the “ones” unnecessary. Whoo whoo I learned something. Thanks so much, and I hope you continue to point these out =)
Marion says
I am going to try them when the weather gets cooler outside can you put cinnommon. on them ad maple syrup on them ?
Lisa Le says
Hi Marion! Cinnamon yes, but I don’t think you need the maple syrup. Apples are actually quite high on natural sugars already =)
Shay says
Yum! Just found these! I will be making tomorrow :) Thanks for sharing!
Diana Behets says
I just happened to
purchase some apple chips covered partially with dark chocolat. Never had them before. I do prefer to make something like this myself. Just will have to experiment with our kind of apples here in Belgium. We did have a big harvest this fall.
Lisa Le says
Ooooooooooh apples and dark chocolate?! I need to play around with that. Please share anything you make on Instagram or Twitter and tag me!! =)
Amber says
I have tried dehydrating and my apples browned after only a couple days. After doing a little more research, I think a lemon/water soak would remedy that. Have you ever tried this with apple chips? I have about 3 large boxes of apples that I would like to try this with, have you found a way of preserving the apple chips more than a couple days?
Val says
I just made these and after cooling some are still soft. Do you suggest cooking longer or higher heat?
Lisa Le says
Depending on the width of the slices, you may need to cook longer. Keep the heat on the lowest setting (200F)
Val says
Thanks so much!! After a second batch I cooked longer and they were crispier. Great idea!! Only problem is they don’t last too long out of the oven because everyone eats them right away lol
Courteney says
Hi,
I found your recipe on Pinterest and was wondering if you could do this i a food dehydrator?
Thanks!
Lisa Le says
Hi Courteney! You can definitely do this in a dehydrator! But I have no idea how long it takes, I’ve never used one myself ^^;
Kay says
I have a dehydrator…but, am curious about the comment about the apples taking too long and turning brown…IN ADDITION…I have a Pampered Chef Microwave potato chip maker..
I may give this a try…anyone else had any luck with this item…it makes great potato chips…using a mandoline to slice thinly
Lisa Le says
You can definitely use a dehydrator. I think there’ll be some browning, but you can also add a little lemon juice before dehydrating. Even my chips browned a little bit. Nothing wrong with browned apples!
Autumn Thing says
Hi~may I know what oven you are used to bake the apple chips?
Lisa Le says
I just use a standard oven, the same one that came with my apartment =P
marcia says
Cuantos grados celcius?
Lisa Le says
Mas o menos 90ºC. =)
Antonette says
Hi! I never usually comment on these types of things, but after making these, I just had to thank you for this amazing recipe. I love, love, LOVE them! They never make it into a container. My kids love them too. Such a great, easy, healthy, yummy snack. I had tried bought ones before and was skeptical that these could be as good….mind blown! Thanks again.
Lisa Le says
Glad they love them! I know, they’re so addictive. I can’t make them fast enough!
makayla says
You should really tell me what else I can make that is easy… plz the apple is good tell me more.
Lisa Le says
Check out my other recipes? I’m a fairly lazy cook so most of my recipes are pretty easy =P
kate says
I think u need a more direct recipe
Lisa Le says
I’m not really sure what you mean. How so?
Kristin Jackson says
Lisa, thanks for this recipe. I’m always looking for healthy snack ideas for my son’s track and football teams.
Lisa Le says
Happy to help! Thanks for taking the time to comment =)
Marie says
Hello. I have a son who just turned 2 and I’m wondering if they’re easy to eat for young children. Are they crispy or chewy?
Lisa Le says
They are crispy =) I don’t have any experience knowing if they’re easy to eat for young children, but I figure if they can eat Cheerios or something, they should be able to eat these if you maybe break them into smaller pieces? Just be careful because since they’re so crispy they might be kinda sharp/pokey.
risa says
SO GOOD!!!!! I made just one batch with an envy apple today and they were worth the two hours!!!!!! I had to put my knife skills to the test because I didn’t have a mandoline slicer but I think they still turned out pretty great
Lisa Le says
Glad you enjoyed it! If you cut them thick, you can kind of make them chewy like gummy apple rings too!
sarah says
So I decided to make these today. All I had on hand were red delicious. I put it at 200 and after one hour most of them were starting to looked burnt any suggestions on how to prevent that
Lisa Le says
200F or 200C? They’ll definitely burn at 200C. It should be at 200F. If you can lower your oven down even more, try that.
KERRY says
I’m going on four hours and they are not getting crispy :( the edges are but the main part of the apple isn’t doing anything really…
Lisa Le says
Hmm maybe turn your oven up a little bit? Every oven has it’s own quirks.
Jacquey Buchanan Tabcum says
I’m going to try these today for a healthy snack. I have Honey Crisp apples and they’re my favorite.
Magus Barba says
Tried it with green granny smith apples, the acidity gave it a delicius sour tartness once they were crispy. Thanks for the recipy
Jessica says
Recipes like this are why I look forward to apple season every year. This cobbler sounds absolutely delicious, definitely making it!
Nisha kamal says
I read this post your post so nice and very informative post thanks for sharing this post
Ravin kumar says
I have Honey Crisp apples and they’re my favorite. They are so delicious and yummy. This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing your information.
rayray says
hmmm. what about a dehydrator? I see oven for 2hrs but makes the house hot in summer. at least the kitchen!
I have a 4-tray dehydrator with temp control. If this doesn’t crisp them I can always toast or finish Crisping in the oven right?
Lisa Le says
A dehydrator would absolutely work! I just don’t have one haha.
Annamaria says
Lisa, I can’t wait to try these chips. I have fuji apples tin the house. Do you think Fujis would be good? Thank you.
Lisa Le says
Absolutely!