Easy Snack for Little Kids: Dried Apple Slices
These little apples are wonderful. I make them for the babies, but I honestly can’t stay out of them. This time of year when the apple trees get picked, we have lots of apples. I notice the apple slices laying around all over the place when the kids are starting to get tired of eating them. This is my favorite way to preserve them, because they make a really good snack for on-the-go. This is a great recipe for any time of the year, though, because of how convenient this snack is. You’ll love this idea and your little ones will too!
Dehydrating Apple Slices
To begin, make sure your apples are clean. Cut your slices about 1/4 inch think. We don’t mind the peels, but they do cause the slices to curl up as they dry. Once they’re all sliced up, just place them directly on the dehydrator trays. I don’t use liners for this recipe unless I’m going to sprinkle the slices with cinnamon or sugar. Personally, I don’t prefer to add sugar when I’m making these for the kids, because I think they are sweet enough. But if you add sugar, sprinkle on a couple tablespoons and stir it all up to coat the slices before placing onto the dehydrator trays. Let them dry till they are obviously dry but still soft, or about 8 hours. My oldest is two, and this is what works for us. An additional four hours or so will give you a crunchier apple that’s good for oatmeal or baked goods. I store these up to about 3 days, but they don’t usually last that long with these kids.
Ways to Use Dried Apples
These are wonderful as is, but they are also a great addition in many ways, especially in fall. Apple cinnamon brings so much nostalgia, just the same as pumpkin spice. These dried apples will make it easy for you to fulfill that fall craving for sweet apple cinnamon. You can put them in your oatmeal or morning cereal. You can add them on top of some yogurt with granola. They’re great for baking, too. You can put them in muffins, cinnamon rolls, or coffee cake. They’re also really good in a trail mix with some almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries.
Give these little apple slices a try, and tell me what you think!
