February is National Snack Month, a good time to reflect on your go-to snacks. If they’re potato chips, maybe it’s time to reconsider (whole-grain pretzels, veggie chips?). If you have a sweet tooth, maybe wean off of Oreos to a crunchy fruit snack, like these apple chips. Thanks to Envy Apples for the recipe.

Envy is a crossbreed of Braeburn and Royal Gala apples. The apples were first launched in North America in 2010, after years of extensive evaluation by New Zealand researchers and apple growers.

Using natural plant-breeding methods (no GMOs), the breeders’ goals were ”sweet, sophisticated flavor, uplifting, fresh aroma, delightfully satisfying crunch, beautiful appearance, and naturally white flesh.”

Discover more about them at EnvyApple.com.

> The history of apples.
 
 
RECIPE: APPLE CHIPS

It’s so easy to make apple chips You can switch the sugar for noncaloric Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener. It measures and pours just 1-to-1 like sugar.

You also can leave off the sweetener on some of the chips, to see how you like them unsweetened.

In addition to snacking, you can use apple chips as a garnish for ice cream and sorbet, a topper for green salads or vegetable side and soup purées, for dipping in a sweet yogurt dip…even as a base for sweet nachos.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 225°F. Line two large baking sheet trays with parchment paper and spread out the apple slices evenly, making sure they don’t touch each other.

2. STIR together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the tops of the apples with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

3. BAKE for 30 minutes, flip, sprinkle the other side with cinnamon sugar, and then bake for another 30 minutes.

4. REMOVE the apple slices from the oven and then spread them out on a rack to cool completely. If you don’t have a rack, move the chips to a fresh piece of parchment on your countertop. The chips will harden and become more crunchy as they cool.

TIP: You can remove one slice from the oven and let them cool to see if it’s as crunchy as you would like. If not, bake the chips for a bit longer.

 
 
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*It’s important to slice the apples on a mandoline so they’re thin enough and uniform in thickness. This is hard to do with a knife—even the most skilled chefs use a mandoline. If you don’t have a mandoline, it’s worth getting one.

†Candied bacon recipe: To make candied bacon, preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange thick-cut bacon on a cooling rack placed on top of a baking sheet lined with foil. Season with the cinnamon-sugar mix and if desired, cracked pepper or a pinch of chili.

Bake until the edges are crisp and the center is caramelized. Allow the bacon to cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a serving platter to cool completely.

For even sweeter, “candied” bacon, use straight brown sugar instead of cinnamon-sugar.

 
 
> CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] You can make these apple chips with sugar or Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener (photos #1 and #2 © Envy Apple).

[2] Envy is a cross between Braeburn and Gala apples.

[3] A mandoline is a great kitchen gadget for slicing fruits and vegetables (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[4] You can keep your own cinnamon-sugar (or cinnamon-Splenda) blend on hand for baked apples, baked goods, oatmeal, pancakes, yogurt, even bacon† (photo © King Arthur Baking).