I was feeling like making a healthyish muffin recipe (Apple Apricot Muffins) which uses dried apples and apricots, but I didn’t have any dried apples on hand. But I do have plenty of fresh apples, and it turns out that drying them yourself couldn’t be easier. I have an old low quality food dehydrator that I’ve kind of given up on, so this was a test of the oven method, and it worked great. It also helps that we have a second oven in the drawer space underneath the regular oven, which comes in handy whenever I want to dry something for a long time on low heat.
There’s just a few key decisions to make. If you want to preserve the apple skin, which make the slices look prettier and increases their fiber content, then don’t peel them. Similarly, if you want the slices to have the pretty star shape in the center, don’t core them. But if you don’t like these chewy dried bits, go ahead and peel and core them. In that case, you’ll end up with more traditional looking apple rings.
Ingredients:
- ~ 3 medium apples per baking sheet
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- bowl of water
Steps:
- Setup a large bowl of cold water with lemon juice.
- Slice your apple in 1/8 inch slices, starting at one end.
- Soak the apples in the water for 20 – 30 mins. to minimize browning.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
- Spread a kitchen towel on your counter and place the apple slices on it. Pat them dry.
- Transfer the apple slices to your lined baking sheet(s).
- Bake the apple slices for about 3 hours, and flip the slices. Then bake for another hour or so. The exact time will vary based on your oven’s true temperature, the thickness of your apple slices, etc. I turned the oven off after about 4 hours, and let them sit in the oven for another 30 mins or so. At this point, mine were dry but soft in texture. If you want them to be crunchy, let them go another hour!
Cardamom & Creme 