Shatter-Crisp Oven-Dried Apple Chips with Cinnamon Sugar

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Paper-thin apple rounds dried low and slow in a regular oven until they snap like a potato chip, with a whisper of cinnamon sugar and a pinch of salt to make the fruit taste more like itself. No dehydrator, no frying, no added fat — just two apples, a sharp blade, and a couple of patient hours. They come out of the oven still slightly bendy and crisp up as they cool, which is the one trick most recipes leave out.

Ingredients

• 2 large firm sweet-tart apples, such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith (about 1 lb total)
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C) and set two racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. If your oven runs hot or has no setting below 200°F, prop the door open about an inch with a folded piece of foil or a wooden spoon handle to let moisture escape.
2. Stir the lemon juice into the cold water in a wide bowl. This acidulated bath keeps the slices pale and prevents that muddy brown color.
3. Slice the apples crosswise (through the equator, not stem to blossom) into rounds 1/16 inch thick — about 1.5 to 2 mm. A mandoline on its thinnest setting is by far the easiest way; otherwise use your sharpest knife and take your time. Do not peel or core first: the rounds hold together better with the core intact and you get a pretty star in the center.
4. As you slice, drop the rounds into the lemon water. Once all are cut, use the tip of a paring knife to flick out any seeds and hard bits of core from the center of each round. Let the slices sit in the water 5 minutes total, no longer, or they'll waterlog.
5. Lift the slices out and lay them in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel. Cover with a second towel and press firmly to blot both sides completely dry. Surface water is the enemy of crispness — this step is worth the extra two minutes.
6. If using the cinnamon sugar, whisk the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg together in a small bowl.
7. Arrange the slices on the prepared sheets in a single layer with a little breathing room between them — they must not overlap. Dust very lightly with the cinnamon sugar, using about half the mixture total; a heavy hand here turns sticky rather than crisp.
8. Bake for 90 minutes. Rotate the sheets between racks, flip every slice over with a small offset spatula or your fingers, and dust with the remaining cinnamon sugar if you like.
9. Continue baking 45 to 90 minutes more, checking every 20 minutes. They're done when the slices look dry and translucent, feel leathery-stiff at the edges, and lift cleanly off the parchment. Thinner slices near the edges of the pan will finish first — pull those early and let the rest keep going.
10. Transfer the chips to a wire rack in a single layer and cool completely, 15 to 20 minutes. They finish crisping as they cool, so judge doneness only after cooling. If any are still bendy once cool, return them to the 200°F oven for another 10 to 15 minutes.
11. Serve at room temperature, or store in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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