Crispy baked cinnamon apple chips loaded with caramel, white chocolate, peanut butter, Snickers, and toffee bits!
Hey look guys! I finally made something healthy!
Sort of…
Well, it started out that way at least.
With apples being at the peak of their season, I decided to try my hand at something I’ve never done before–apple chips. Dried apples and apple chips were never a food that appealed to me. At least when it came to the ones you buy in grocery stores. They always seemed to be too chewy or rubbery with very little flavor. These homemade apple chips, on the other hand, are far from rubbery or flavorless.
And they’re so STINKIN’ easy too!
There’s really not much prep work involved–you don’t even have to peel OR core the darn apples! Just slice them thin, lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon, and let them do their thing in the oven for a couple of hours. Which means you now have the perfect excuse to sit around and watch your favorite Netflix series (ahem, “Fuller House”) or movies (ahem, “Hocus Pocus”) as you wait for the apples to bake. You’re welcome.
You’d be surprised at how light, crisp, and airy apples can become when they’ve been sliced and dried in the oven long enough. I didn’t know it was even possible for apple slices to become so crisp. One of the keys to getting such crisp apple chips is to slice them thin–about an 1/8″ thin. This can either be done with a mandolin or a knife, which is what I used. I try to avoid using mandolins if I can since I’ve grown pretty attached to my finger tips.
Another key to crispy, light-as-air chips is baking them long and low. I like to do 225ºF for about 2.5 hours. I’ll usually flip them over an hour into the baking time, sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, then return them to the oven for another 1.5 hours. You can tell they’re ready when they’ve browned, the edges have curled up, and they’ve shrunken considerably. The apple chips will crisp up once they’ve cooled completely, so you’ll want to wait at least five minutes before biting into one.
While these little wisps of sweetness are delicious on their own, I for sure was not going to disappoint y’all with a healthy recipe. That just wouldn’t be me. So in the spirit of all things baJillian, I dressed these apple chips up to the nines.
Now THESE are the kind of nachos I’d prefer to order at a Mexican restaurant.
I loaded these nachos up good with some caramel (an absolute MUST), white chocolate, melted peanut butter, toffee bits, and chunks of Snickers. However, what you choose to top your apple chips with is solely up to you. Whether you like dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cookie butter, nutella, marshmallows, Milky Ways, or M&Ms, the options are endless.
It’s the ability to customize that makes these nachos an ultimate hit among everyone. In fact, this would be perfect for Halloween parties! Just as you would do a nacho bar, have a big bowl full of these apple chips surrounded by all kinds of toppings so that guests can top their “nachos” with.
Am I a genius, or am I a genius?
Loaded Apple Chip Nachos
Ingredients
- 3 Apples
- Ground Cinnamon
- Toppings: I used Caramel Sauce Melted White Chocolate, Peanut Butter (warmed in the microwave to drizzle), Toffee bits, and Snickers (cut into chunks)*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Wash and thinly slice the apples to about an 1/8" thickness. Spread the apple slices into a single layer onto the baking sheets. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Bake apple slices for 1 hour, flip the apples over, sprinkle with more cinnamon (if desired) and bake for another 1-1.5 hours. Remove from the oven and transfer apple chips to a wire rack to cool completely. Store apple chips at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
For Nachos:
- Serve a handful or two of apple chips on a plate, then top them with whatever toppings you like. Make sure that you don't put the toppings on until right before eating as the apple chips tend to soften the longer they sit with toppings such as caramel or melted chocolate.