Jump to the recipe for Chai Spiced Apple Rings…
While we were out exploring the Cascade Loop in October, I made my annual stop at the Small Harvest fruit stand and picked up a box of fall apples. If you buy a whole box, they come out cheaper than if you just buy a pound or two.
I asked one of the store’s staff to suggest a good apple for baking and dehydrating and he suggested a few, including the Sweet Tango. I absolutely loved, it had just the right combination of sweet and tart. He also directed me to a list they keep at the counter with apple suggestions in case you need some help picking from all the apple choices!
I had to take a picture of myself with the apples and my husband said this was the best angle and now looking at the picture later I can’t believe I did not pay more attention to the giant chicken next to me. I know there is a Bloggess post about that somewhere and I missed a great opportunity in that moment at the store for a laugh…but I digress.
When I got home, I had plans to not only enjoy the apples straight up (with a bit of sunbutter) but to dehydrate some for future snacks on the trail. I wasn’t content with just plain dehydrated apple slices, of course, and went about contemplating what would make a unique fall flavored apple treat. Cinnamon by itself is so, well, benign.
That’s is where the chai spice comes in! Second probably only to pumpkin spice (which makes a good apple slice, too), chai spice is a popular fall flavor that makes me think of a warm cup of latte hugged by someone in mittens and a scarf while crunching through crisp leaves. Crunch, crunch.
Make Your Chai Spice Mix
You can buy chai spice mix in the store but it often has fillers and such like sugar. Not for us, I say! I made my own with some help from Plays Well With Butter (don’t you love that title??), you just need cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice, cardamon and nutmeg. If you can grind any of these from whole, even better.
Here’s the ratio for the spices:
- 3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cardamom
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon clove
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
You only need a smidge for this recipe, you will have plenty left over for spicing up some cider or adding some kick to banana bread. The possibilities are endless.
Prepare Your Apples
On to the Chai Spiced Apple Rings! If you haven’t dehydrated apple slices before, it is about as simple as it can get. Wash, core and slice the apples as thin as you can. Using a mandolin works best but if you have mad knife skills, go for it. You do want the slices to be even, though, so they dry consistently.
Lay the slices out in a single layer on the open trays of your dehydrator. My dehydrator has four trays and it worked out to about an apple a tray. Yours may vary. Fill all the trays in your dehydrator with apples.
Spice Things Up
Now for the fun flavor part. Using a sieve, add the 1/2 teaspoon of chai spice mix (it doesn’t take a lot!) and softly shake (or tap) the sieve over the apple slices to dust them. Starting with the top tray means whatever misses will fall down to the slices below! The 1/2 teaspoon should cover about four apples.
Now Dry and Store
Set the temperature to the fruit/vegetable setting (about 125-135 degrees) and let the apples dry for 5-6 hours. You will know they are done when the apples are no longer tacky and feel dry to the touch. Crisper slices will last longer than chewy ones, you can decide how you like them.
Store them in an air tight container until you are ready to eat them.
Enjoy!
Chai Spiced Apple Rings
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Paleo, Vegan, Whole Food
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
- 4 apples
- 1/2 teaspoon chai spice
Instructions
- Wash and core the apples and use a mandolin for even slices. The thinner the faster they will dry but thicker slices will be chewier.
- Lay the slices out on the trays without the edges touching in the dehydrator and stack all the trays.
- Sprinkle lightly with the chai spice mix.
- Set the temperature to 125 to 135 degrees and allow them to dry 5-6 hours.
- Store in an airtight container.
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