No. 138Recipe Card Posted on 15 Comments

Apple Chips

The crisp fresh taste of Fall heirloom apples captured as thin, sweet chips – apple chips are a perfectly simple sweet snack or a lovely addition for a Fall cheese plate – little apple heirlooms from Bijouxs.

Apples are the first fruit of Fall and heirloom varieties are always a favorite in the Bijouxs kitchen, from my own home-grown Annas to very tart Pippins, so I was happy to sample some of the heirloom apple varieties provided by Frieda’s Produce, which will be featured at Sprouts Markets.

The beautiful apple pictured is an Arkansas Black, which dates back to about the 1870s. The rich colors and firm, crisp texture made it the perfect apple to slice wafer thin for a batch house Apple Chips. If you have not made apple chips at home, wait until you do, they are a perfectly sweet-crisp treat, simple and so superior to the store processed products.

The one thing you need, along with a crisp fresh apple, is a handheld or standing mandoline slicer, it really is the only way to slice the apples razor thin, which produces light, crisp sweet chips. The delicate thin slices are gently poached in a simple syrup and then baked in a low oven until crisp, this technique is from Thomas Keller’s French Laundry Cookbook, 1999. (I highly recommend this book not only for its beautiful recipes but for the impeccable culinary techniques Chef Keller shares) I included a cinnamon stick to spice the syrup or you may wish to add additional spices such as star anise, as in Pears Poached in Wine or simply poach the apples in the syrup, they are delicious either way.

Apple chips make great lunch time take-alongs or just when you what something a little sweet. They also make a lovely addition to a Fall cheese plate, a sweet chip as a perfect counterpoint to your favorite savory cheeses. The chips are best the day they are made or the next, as they lose their crispness if keep longer.

Heirloom apple chips, more little jewels for your Fall kitchen.

As always, enjoy. B

15 thoughts on “Apple Chips

  1. Lynn, your photography is so breathtaking! I’d put all of these images on my wall.
    Can’t wait to try this poaching technique for the chips. Sounds delicious!

    1. Hello Valentina! I love apples and I have over the years experimented with different ways to make apple chips, but this method is my favorite. Thank you so much and I will keep trying to capture the everyday beauty all around us, right here in our kitchens.

  2. This is why I need a mandolin. Those apple chips look delish!

    1. If you’re just looking to slice ingredients very thin, such as these chips or perhaps potatoes for a gratin, a simple inexpensive handheld mandoline type slicer will do, honestly that’s what I use. Now, I did have own a more involved standing mandoline, but it was just too involved to use quickly on a daily basis. I’d actually love one that slices thin potato frites and waffle slices and was also very quick and easy to use, that will be a quest. Thank you Kristen.

  3. The thing I love about heirloom apples are the names. If you get a hold of a list of them (extinct and/or current) you will be struck by the how many of these apples are called by family names. That’s because our American heritage and apples are intertwined. GREG

    1. I love this Greg! I do know apples really are one of our first fruits & very important, but I have not looked at the apple family genealogy connection! The Arkansas Black, is named so as it deepens to a purplish black as it ripens – who knows maybe there is a Gray apple from my farming roots:) Thank you!

  4. Gorgeous. Simply gorgeous!

  5. I am off to the farm today with my kids to pick up pumpkins and enjoy Fall Fest. I have just added apples to the list and will be making these when I get home! Lovely photos!

    1. Oh, I love to go the pumpkin patch! Sounds like a perfect fall day – enjoy the day and the apple chips!

  6. bij…i miss you…i also miss your gorgeous food! hopefully life will slow down enough so we can get together and dish!

    xo
    rip

    1. Rip, so thrilled to hear about your new adventure – the ranch sounds like heaven! Sign me up! Maybe I can come up a we can cook up something fresh from the farm! Bij~

  7. Hi, I just tried this recipe out, and my chips don’t look like yours, which are perfectly flat. Mine have the crispy ruffles around the edges. I’m curious if you did an additional technique to keep them flat?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Robin!

      No, no additional technique to keep apple chips flat – they are however sliced very thinly, not sure if this has anything to do with the edges curling?
      Thank you and enjoy!

  8. I have been craving an apple dessert. I had to stop by and check out your apple chips. I can smell all the amazing seasoning in it. Seriously, it looks delicious.

    1. Hi Jessica,

      Thanks for writing in. These apple chips are simple and a great way to enjoy apple season. Thanks for being a part of Bijouxs~

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