How to Bake Crunchy Cinnamon & Spice Apple Chips

When my girls were much smaller, I filled a drawer they could reach with the type of snacks we call “growing food.”

Dried unsweeted cranberries, pears and apricots, applesauce cups, almonds and pumpkin seeds… No added sugar, fast and easy were our watchwords 

On some afternoons, I prepared snacks like fresh apple slices or crackers with organic peanut butter or blueberry mini-muffins. But on days when I had a writing deadline or a cooking project, they could pick out something to eat for themselves.

It worked for all of us. Even my work-at-home husband and I looked there first to satisfy afternoon cravings.

And it gave the girls control and practice in choose something for themselves to eat besides the fresh fruit on the counter.

As they grew, the drawer migrated to a Snack Free Zone cabinet that now contains seaweed snacks and more kinds of dried fruits, like dates, and even more nuts and seeds.

They can also reach the other cabinet where they’ll find crackers, energy bars, chips and pretzels. But they know the difference between the two.

When they come home from school or sports–“Starving!”–they go straight for the first cabinet and “go shopping.” So, I consider it my job to keep that “growing food” cabinet stocked with enticing items to eat.

Their favorites include dried coconut and this fruit leather.

Homemade Apple Chips

A few weeks ago, I tasted these baked apple chips from the Food Hero booth at the farmers’ market. While I’ve intended to dehydrate the apples that fell from our trees, I haven’t quite gotten to that project as yet.

I loved the fact that I could bake these in the oven without the wait of the dehydrator.

It sounded pretty easy to slice a few apples, sprinkle them with cinnamon and bake them for a couple of hours to turn them into crispy apple chips for snacking.

And it was!

These apple chips easy enough to make anytime you have apples on hand. I don’t own an apple corer. So, I sliced the apples with my Japanese mandolin and then used a round cutter on any slices with seeds.

I embellished some wonderfully potent Vietnamese cinnamon with a few other warming apple-friendly spices we all love. Like allspice and nutmeg. It’s time to start stocking the pantry with all of those holiday spices anyway! {Yes, it’s time for apple pie making.} The pinch of salt is optional, but I find it accentuates any fruit recipe.

I combined the spice mixture and used a small sifter to dust the apple slices. Then, they baked on a ungreased, unlined baking sheet.

I know! I was skeptical at first that they would stick.

But they don’t. Not one bit.

And that crunch? Just what you’re looking for in an afternoon snack, but it’s not a cracker or a potato chip. Yes, this is growing food–baked!

I’m adding these baked apple chips to the snack cabinet this week. Sweet and snappy, they didn’t last a single snack session. Next time, a double batch.

What are your favorite “growing food” snacks? Let me know in the comments below or tag a photo #lynnesforage on Instagram or Facebook.

The post How to Bake Crunchy Cinnamon & Spice Apple Chips appeared first on Lynne Curry.