Since I live in Washington State, and it’s fall, I would be remiss not to dedicate a few posts to apples. Oh apples, how I love thee. There is something about the crunch, the tart and the sweet that wins my heart over time and time again. I live in apple country. Everyone grows apples! From Cripps to Cameos, Braeburns to Fuji… there are so many varieties to choose from, it’s no wonder that I always end up with way too many on my hands.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!This year, I picked up about 60 pounds of apples from my favorite orchard, Kiyokawa Family Orchard. Thanks to my trusty dehydrator, I can preserve these apples to enjoy well after the apple season is behind us.
Apple rings are one of my family’s favorite snacks and they are so easy to make and are far better tasting than candy, I promise! Plus as you dehydrate your apples, your house fills with the wonderful smells of cinnamon and apple, really driving home that sense of fall. Who needs candles when you have apples!?
To make dehydrated apples, I highly recommend getting a hand-crank peeler/corer. They aren’t overly expensive and this contraption will save you a ton of time and effort. I use the Victorio Johnny Apple Peeler. I picked it up from Amazon for around $20. It is super easy to use and even easier to clean. It slices apples (or pears!) into consistent 1/4 inch slick slices which makes for even dehydrating and preservation.
To get started, you will need about 10 apples, depending on the size of your dehydrator. I have used many different varieties of apples, but am partial to the Kiyokawa Family Orchards, Honeycrisp apple for my dehydrated apple rings. Wash, peel and core your fruit. As you work through the fruit, soak the slices in a bowl of cold water combined with two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. This will prevent the fruit from browning. Evenly lay your sliced apples out onto your dehydrating trays making sure not to overlap the fruit. Lightly sprinkle each slice of apple with a dusting of cinnamon. Repeat until all trays are full. Dehydrate to 145 deg F for 6-8 hours. Depending on your dehydrator, you may need more or less time or you may need to rotate the trays. Test your fruit along the way and stop the dehydration process when your apples have reached the desired amount of chew. Store in glass containers and enjoy! Apple rings should easily stay fresh for up to 6 months.
Apple Rings
Ingredients
- 10 apples
- 2 tbsps. lemon juice
- 8 cups cold water
- cinnamon for sprinkling on apples
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Wash, core and peel apples. As you work through the fruit, drop sliced apples into a bowl of water and lemon juice. This will prevent apples from browning.
- Next, layer apple slices onto dehydrator trays. Sprinkle cinnamon evenly across apple slices and repeat until all trays are full.
- Set the dehydrator to 140 deg F for 6-8 hours. This dehydrating process may take more or less time, depending on your dehydrator. Halfway through the dehydrating process, rotate trays to ensure even dehydrating.
- Store apple rings in an airtight glass container or plastic bag. Apples should easily keep for 6 months.
