Dehydrated Apples

I was looking for dehydrated apples to add to my granola.  EVERY SINGLE bag I found had that stupid (!) allergy warning/disclaimer written on the back of the package......processed in/on a facility that may/may not (who really knows anyway) handles/processes tree nuts/peanuts blah blah blah.

It's a good thing I purchased my apples in bulk this week.  Plus, bagged apples don't have stickers on them.  I hate those stickers.  I hate them.  There is always one stuck onto the drain, counter, floor, dog, etc, in my house.  I saw show a on the Food Network once about a laser (said like Dr. Evil) that can tattoo a bar code and item number onto the surface of the fruit, without altering its composition, alleviating the need for fruit stickers!  I know, right?

Plus, I got to use my apple corer-peeler-slicer-vegomatic 3,000 (said like Gallagher).
Basically, you just have to peel, core and slice the apples.  Next, give them a bath in lemon water, drain on a towel, and pat to dry.

So, the voices in my head did allow a bit of the skin to remain on the sliced apples.
However, these same voices encouraged me to alternate the direction when lining up the apples on the baking sheets.

Line with parchment to prevent sticking; four apples covered two half-sheet sized pans, approx. 18' x 13'.

I did have a few pieces left over to munch on, and Big Bird had a pile of apple scraps to eat and play with.  

**NOTE**  her dilated, crazy, apple-loving eyes....these have not been photoshopped!

It took just about 2 hours; I flipped over all the slices half way through. You can tell when they are dry enough; they start to look leathery, wrinkle slightly like raisins, and become crisp.  Your parchment paper will be dry underneath the slices and there will be no visible moister on the paper at all.   Also, their volume will reduce by half.  The two sheets will yield 1 full sheet of dried slices (see below).  Four large Fuji-Fiji apples reduced to just over 2 cups of dried apple slices.

Store in a jar with a tight fitting lid.  Chop and add to granola, or just eat them straight up.  I can't really tell you how long they will last, we (S., Big Bird and I) eat them too fast.

Hope you try them...enjoy!

Printable Recipe
Dehydrated Apple Slices adapted from The Food Network 

4 large Fuji Apples
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
7 cups Water

Core and slice apples 1/4" thick, soak in lemon juice and water for 2-3 minutes, drain, pat to dry.   Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and arrange apples so that none are overlapping.  Bake at 200* for 2-3 hours, depending on the moisture content of your apples, flipping over the slices half way through.  Cool on wire rack for 20 mins.

I have shared this on:
Thursday Favorite Things, Katherine's Corner