Dried Apples

Before – first method

Apples have been abundant lately. I’ve been fortunate to receive two big bags from our neighbors. I was chatting with a friend this week who said their yard had an apple tree and they had more apples that they knew what to do with. This is the perfect time to try my hand at dried apples.

After – first method

The waistline can only take so much apple pie and apple cake, so I’ve been looking for savory uses of apples. I came across a recipe for a pork tenderloin that is stuffed with dried apples. By the time Ed said, “I wonder how you dry apples,” I was already googling it. As it turns out, drying apples is easy and can be done in your oven – no need for special equipment. At least that’s the method we chose. I did read about folks drying apples outdoors on their trampolines and in parked cars on sunny days.

We prepared the apples in two different ways:

At first I peeled, cored, and sliced the apples as if I were making an apple pie. Each quarter of an apple yielded three or four slices.
Place the slices on a cooling rack, so air can get to both sides and the slices are supported. You could just place them on paper towels, but you’d have to keep turning them.
Bake for 10 – 12 hours at 65 C or 150F. The slices will feel rubbery and flexible when they’re ready.
We found this make a great snack for car trips. Nothing sticky!

For our second effort, I wanted something that could be used in craft projects. I left the peel on and sliced the apples across in 6mm or 1/4 inch thick slices. I especially liked the star pattern you get from the seeds. If you want to use these for eating rather than crafts, remove the core, the area around the seeds is very hard when it dries.
Bake as above, but I left these in the oven longer, until they were stiff and almost crisp. (After baking for 10 – 12 hours, I turned the oven off and left them in overnight.)
We nibbled on a few of these and really liked the chip-like texture and added flavor from the peel.
I inserted a few of these dried apple slices into my purchased wreath. I think the apples gave an air of believability to the artificial greens.

And the pork recipe that started all this? We haven’t made it yet. To tell you the truth, the dried apples haven’t lasted long enough. 🙂