Cake, coffee, pancakes, oatmeal, French toast, whipped cream…Pumpkin Pie Spice sprinkled in everything. Funny to think we now enjoy pumpkin pie spice without even a thought of pumpkin pie.
When I was blending a homemade batch of pumpkin pie spice the other day – and the aromas of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg took turns surprising me with each stir until the warming spices finally melted into that favorite flavor of fall – I didn’t have pumpkin pie on my mind either. I was thinking – apples!
Apples, pumpkin pie spice, and my love for all things crunchy, could only lead me down one path. One apple tree lined path through the orchard straight into my kitchen where I was slicing and spicing and sweetening apples to create these delectable, baked Spiced Apple Chips.
For Spiced Apple Chips, use large, crisp apples like Zestar or Honeycrisp. Then slice them thin with a mandoline slicer (you should have at least 12 slices per apple).
Lay the apple slices flat on a baking sheet, sprinkle with a mix of brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg (and maybe a little clove & allspice too), and bake on a low temperature for at least two hours. The longer the bake time, the crunchier the chip. But I like some chewy bite in my apple chips, so two hours is just right.
Spiced Apple Chips - hours to bake and seconds to gobble up. I need a bigger oven.
Spiced Apple Chips recipe by Season with Spice
Ingredients:
Apples – crisp apples work best like Zestar or Honeycrisp
2 tsp Vietnamese Cinnamon Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
Dash of Nutmeg Powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
Process:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the spices and brown sugar.
2. Preheat oven to 230F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Slice apples thinly (peel on) with mandolin slicer. Each apple should make at least 12 slices. Discard seeds. Lay slices flat on parchment paper, and sprinkle on the pumpkin pie spice mixture.
4. Bake for one hour. Then flip apple slices over. If you want a stronger flavor, you can sprinkle on more of the pumpkin pie spice mixture, but for presentation, it’s nice to leave one side white. Bake for another hour or until slices begin to lightly brown (will take longer if you are baking more than two apples). Turn oven off, but do not take out the apple slices yet. Allow the apple slices to slowly cool, and crisp up in the oven, about 20-30 minutes.
Notes:
- To prevent some oxidation and browning of the apple slices before and during baking, add the slices to a bowl of cold water and lemon juice immediately as you slice them. When you are done cutting the apples, allow all the slices to soak for at least five minutes. Then drain the water completely before placing the apple slices on the parchment paper.
- Bake longer for a crunchier chip, or shorter for a chewier chip.
Ingredients:
Apples – crisp apples work best like Zestar or Honeycrisp
2 tsp Vietnamese Cinnamon Powder
1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
Dash of Nutmeg Powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
Process:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the spices and brown sugar.
2. Preheat oven to 230F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. Slice apples thinly (peel on) with mandolin slicer. Each apple should make at least 12 slices. Discard seeds. Lay slices flat on parchment paper, and sprinkle on the pumpkin pie spice mixture.
4. Bake for one hour. Then flip apple slices over. If you want a stronger flavor, you can sprinkle on more of the pumpkin pie spice mixture, but for presentation, it’s nice to leave one side white. Bake for another hour or until slices begin to lightly brown (will take longer if you are baking more than two apples). Turn oven off, but do not take out the apple slices yet. Allow the apple slices to slowly cool, and crisp up in the oven, about 20-30 minutes.
Notes:
- To prevent some oxidation and browning of the apple slices before and during baking, add the slices to a bowl of cold water and lemon juice immediately as you slice them. When you are done cutting the apples, allow all the slices to soak for at least five minutes. Then drain the water completely before placing the apple slices on the parchment paper.
- Bake longer for a crunchier chip, or shorter for a chewier chip.
