Monday 11 October 2010

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Apple Chips/Æblechips/苹果片[píng guǒ piàn]


Makes 5 baking trays of dried apple chips

Preparation Time: 30 minutes, Bake Time: 2 - 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

- 5 large apples
- Cinnamon powder (optional)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 100°C (approx. 200°F)*.

2. De-core the apples and slice them as thin as possible using a mandolin.

3. Arrange them neatly a baking tray laid with baking paper.

4. Pat dry with a fresh and clean kitchen towel - this will reduce drying time in the oven

5. Sprinkle cinnamon powder on them (optional).

6. Bake for 3 hours or until dry and crispy. You do not need to monitor it, while it is baking for 2 hours. It wouldn't burn at this low temperature, even after 2.5 hours.

7. Let cool and store in an air-tight mason jar. It will be crispy, when it is cooled.

Tips:

Drop the sliced apples into a bowl of water containing lemon juice or lime juice to prevent browning while you are still slicing the rest of the apples, you are afraid that it will turn brown. But it has never happened for me, as it doesn't take so long to slice the apples.

* For faster results, you could increase the oven temperature to 120°C and reduce baking time, however, the apple chips will lose its color, and would not look as nice compared to slow drying under low temperature.

You can also slow dry it at 60°C for 12 hours in the oven.

To summarize:
60°C - 12 hrs
100°C - 3 hrs
120°C - 2 hrs

The lower the temperature you use, the more you retain the color of the apple, although the apple chips taste as good even if you dry it at higher temperature.

Storage:

Last 6-9 months in an air-tight container or longer in the freezer.

-----------------------------------
Additional Information:

We brought J for apple-picking last Saturday and came home with 5kg of apples. It was our first time doing that, and it was great fun. I gave some of those apples away and wonder what to do with the rest. I love those store-bought apple chips, but they are very expensive. Then I thought of an idea – I will try to make dried apples or apple chips, as they are called.

I found this recipe from a blog (see reference below) and the mother made this with her toddler. J is too young for this yet. But I will try to do it with J next year, when he is older.

Verdict from my Significant Other: “They are very crunchy and much better than those store-bought ones. I feel like eating the whole glass :-)”.

It is very easy, though can be time-consuming, but most of the time is waiting time in the oven. It is a very healthy snack for J and us – no added sugar, no added fat, just real simple apples. Try it, I think you will love it too :-)

My Significant Other likes cinnamon on his apples, but they taste equally good without it.

Update on 15.10.10
It is advisable not to give to babies, as they will develop a sweet tooth. After tasting apple chips, J now doesn't want his apple biscuits anymore :-(

P.S:
It is the season for apples in Denmark from September to October and you can pluck apples from every weekend from 4th September to the 24th October at Frydenlund Frugtplantage north from Copenhagen (http://www.frydenlund-frugtplantage.dk/) from 10am to 4pm. You can also use store-bought apples to make apple chips. You pluck as much as you want, and just pay for those apples you want to bring home at 14 DKK/kg. They provide you with plastic bags for plucking apples, so you don’t have to bring your own containers. There is a white tent nearby when you enter the gate, and it takes just a minute to register yourself at the white tent (basically just informing them), and off you go, apple-plucking :-). If you can’t decide which apples to pluck, there are samples of different species of apples and pears for you to try. When plucking apples, remember to pluck them together with the stalk.

References:

http://saltandchocolate.blogspot.com/2007/10/how-to-make-dried-apple-slices.html

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/10/how-to-make-apple-chips.html

http://www.holmevangfrugtplantage.dk/opskriter/14-aeblechips.html

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/07/22/baked-cinnamon-apple-chips/











Updates 17 October 2015 (6Y6M12D):

De-core the apples



Slice with mandolin or 

Simply cut into thin slices


Spread on a baking tray laid with baking paper

Pat dry with a fresh and clean kitchen towel - this will help to reduce drying time in the oven and making the apple chips crispy

Bake on baking tray laid with baking paper for 3 hours at 100°C







 27 April 2017 (8Y1M22D)

27 April 2017 (11M12D): Baby FECS trying apple chips for the first time.

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