Chai Spiced Apple Chips are the perfect healthy snack for everyone. Sugar free yet full of flavour, these chips make the most of new season apples.
We have a pet rabbit called Fudge. He is very naughty, very cheeky, and always very hungry. And his favourite treat, above all else, is a piece of apple. Fudge is also very clever. A few years ago I dried a large amount of apples for him, which I kept in a glass jar in the storeroom. Fudge quickly worked this out, and I would often walk out of the storeroom to find him staring at me in expectation.
Winter has just started here, and the local markets are bursting with freshly picked, new season apples. In a nice synergy, this month’s Recipe ReDux theme is to celebrate a fellow ReDuxer. I immediately knew I wanted to spotlight Trish from Rhubarbarians. I have long admired Trish’s quirky, chirpy style and her gorgeous food photography. A quick browse though her archives and I stumbled upon her recipe for Healthy Spiced Apple Chips. Perfect for the new season fruit.
My dehydrator works overtime in winter making apple chips; mostly for Fudge, although the rest of the family does get a few. I dry so many apples, I invested in a gadget that does all the coring, slicing (and peeling if you like) for me. If you dry a lot of apples, I cannot rave about these enough. However, in all the years I have been making apple chips, I have never thought to spice them up.
Trish dusts her spiced apple chips with cinnamon, cloves and ginger, and provides a few alternatives for spicing them up further. Her suggestion to use ground chai tea piqued my interest enough to try it for myself. Can I say, the idea is inspired. The ground tea adds a slight smoky backnote, with the spices complementing the sweetness of the apple perfectly. The Princess discovered the first batch when they were still in the dehydrator: not many made it to the kitchen.
Fudge has figured out that we are at the height of apple season, and I regularly walk out of the kitchen to find him waiting for a treat. This year I’m ready for him. I’m making a large batch of these chai spiced apple chips so we don’t have to share.
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Chai Spiced Apple Chips | The Recipe Redux
Don't have a dehydrator? I have provided Trish's instructions below for drying them in the oven.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sized eating apples
- 3 Tablespoons chai spiced teabags or 3 chai tea.
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon quill or 1 ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Grind the tea and the cinnamon quill to a fine powder in a coffee grinder or a mortar & pestle.
- Pass the powder through a fine sieve to remove any coarse material.
- Slice the apples horizontally into 6mm (1/4") slices using a knife, mandoline or apple gadget.
- Sprinkle the chai spice over the apple slices. I used a fine sieve to get an even coating over the slices.
To dry in the dehydrator
- Lay the slices on dehydrator trays, ensuring that the slices do not overlap.
- Dry until crisp. The time taken will depend on your machine.
- Store in an airtight container.
Oven-drying Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 90C.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the spiced apple slices between the baking sheets. Do not allow the slices to overlap.
- Bake for 1 hour. Flip the apple slices over.
- Bake for 1 hour. Flip again.
- Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
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So glad you liked the recipe! Now I HAVE to try them out with chai spice. 🙂
It is a great idea Trish. I know this because they didn’t last at all here 🙂 Love your work!
Chai tea flavor and apples sound amazing together! I’m making these real soon!
You should Cindy. It is a fantastic flavour combination 🙂