Dried Apples

I first ate dried apples as a snack at my aunts house when I was 13.  We were all playing Monopoly when she pulled out a jar of dried apple slices, and I fell in love with their natural sweetness and the hint of cinnamon she dusted them with.


To start off a batch of my own dried apples, I like to use just a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice to help prevent browning. 

I love my old fashioned apple peeler.  It saves so much time!  For this batch, I decided to leave some apple peels on and remove some.

While I am slicing and coring, I let the rest of the apple slices sit in a bowl of cool water with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice.  Aren't these Gala apples beautiful?

Then I drained them thoroughly...

and laid them out on the dehydrator racks.  You can sprinkle them with a dash of cinnamon if you wish!
 

I set my dehydrator to 135 degrees F +  ran it for about 6 hours = a beautiful, healthy snack.

Dried Apples

• Apples
• bowl of water
• 1 or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• cinnamon, optional

Cut apples into thin slices  - you can peel them or leave the peels on for a little added fiber and nutrients.  Dip in the water/lemon juice solution to help prevent browning.  Lay out in a single layer on drying rack.  Dust with a little cinnamon if desired. 

If using a food dehydrator, set at 135 degrees F and dry until apples are leathery (about 7 hours), or very dry (about 10 hours), or quite crispy (12-15 hours).  We like ours a little softer - more leathery than crisp.  One thing to note is that all apples have a different moisture content and will dry at different speeds.  I was using Gala apples for this batch, and they were leathery in about seven hours.  I think the important thing is to check them at the minimum recommended time, and continue to check them every hour or so until they are done.  If you don't have a dehydrator, you could dry them in a 170 degree F oven (or as low as it will go) for 6-7 hours or until they are dried to your liking!

Allow the apples to cool completely.  I store my dried apples either in a quart canning jar, or a ziploc bag.  They should keep for about 6 months in a cool dry place, but if you are looking for longer storage, put them in the freezer.