Maple Olive Oil Apple Chips

Last weekend my dad went apple picking at his friend’s orchard in the tiny town of Julian, near San Diego. He ended up with a bounty of apples. I’m not kidding. There are more apples at my house now than at the grocery store. I’m sure I’ve eaten more apples since Sunday than I have all year.

My mood over the last few weeks has been glum. It sounds silly, but ever since the apples have been around, I’ve cheered up. Maybe it’s just that they’ve inspired me to cook, and cooking really does make me happy. Or maybe an apple a day really is good for your health.

Here’s what I’ve eaten this week with apples (so far):

• homemade applesauce
• beet, apple and walnut salad
• apple slices dipped in peanut butter
• apple slices dipped in Caramel Apple Dip
• four kinds of apple chips

I knew right away that the apple chips would be a perfect backpacking food. They’re super lightweight and can be savory or sweet, depending on how you season them. They’re sometimes crunchy and sometimes chewy, depending on the thickness of your apple slices and the humidity of the day. Any way you make them, they’re healthy and delicious.

Early in the week, I made three varieties—cinnamon sugar, maple, and olive oil with salt. Though good, cinnamon sugar was surprisingly my least favorite. Both the maple and olive oil with salt were great—so great that I couldn’t decide which I liked better. So for my fourth round of apple chip baking, I decided to combine the two and make them with maple syrup, olive oil, and salt. We had a winner. The only trick to making them is to slice your apples as thin as you can. I don’t have a mandoline, but you should use one if you do.

I’m nowhere near out of apples. Next, I’m planning to make apple butter and then I’ll attempt my first-ever batch of macarons with these Cinnamon Apple Macarons with Apple Butter Buttercream. No, I didn’t just misspell macaroon. Macarons (you have to say it with a French accent) are meringue based almond cookies and are super trendy at the moment. They’re supposed to be tricky to make so wish me luck!

Maple Olive Oil Apple Chips

Yield

Varies, depending on the size of your apples

Prep Time / Cook Time

20 minutes / 1 1/2-2 hours

Activity Guide

Backpacking, Bike Touring, Car Camping, Day Trip, Picnic

Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt

Tools

• Cutting board
• Large bowl
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper, silicone baking mat, or cooking spray
• Sharp knife or mandoline

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, a silicone baking mat, or coat them with cooking spray.
2. Combine maple syrup, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Thinly slice the apples and place them in the bowl with the maple syrup mixture. Toss to coat the apple slices. Arrange the apple slices in a single layer on the baking sheets.
4. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the apples dry out. Store the apple chips in an airtight container.