Easy Apple Snacks 3 Ways

We rescued our first local apples of the season from Quarry Hill Orchard in Berlin Heights this week and we are shipping them to homes across Ohio! One of the many perks of living in the Midwest is experiencing the fall season and all of the delicious local apples that come with it.

There’s no stopping you from enjoying these beauties straight out of the box, but we wanted to share a few ways to transform them into fun mid-morning or afternoon snacks, especially now that kids are back in school or learning from home. Use a couple of those Perfectly Imperfect apples to make Apple Donut Stacks, Late Summer Fruit Salsa, or Oven-Dried Apple Chips!

Apple Donut Stacks

Sliced apple rounds are topped with anything from almond butter to greek yogurt to cream cheese and jazzed up with granola, grated coconut, mini chocolate chips, and chopped nuts (the options are truly endless!). Let the kids pick their topping combos then assemble them into stacks!

Ingredients:

Perfectly Imperfect apples

Assorted “icing” ingredients: nut or seed butters, greek yogurt, cream cheese, jam, honey

Assorted toppings: nuts, seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, grated coconut, sliced banana

Directions:

Cut the apples in ¾-inch slices crosswise. Use an apple corer or paring knife to cut out the core. Top with “icing”, then assorted toppings. Enjoy as is, or layer them in a stack for fun!

Late Summer Fruit Salsa with Baked Churro Chips

September in Ohio means we’re still enjoying delicious local peaches while getting a taste of the first local apples! This simple fruit salsa pairs them together and is sweetened with a bit of fruit jam. Feel free to add in any other fruit you have, like pears or grapes. Pair it with baked whole grain tortilla chips (seasoned like churros!) to celebrate the transition from summer to fall.

Ingredients:

Salsa:

1 ½ cups finely chopped Perfectly Imperfect apple (about 2 small)

1 cup finely chopped Perfectly Imperfect peaches

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon strawberry or apricot jam or preserves

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch sea salt

Tortilla chips:

3 8-inch whole grain tortillas

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil (or butter)

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Combine the chopped apples and peaches together in a bowl. In a separate small dish, whisk together the lemon juice, jam, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Pour over the fruit and gently toss to combine.

To make the chips, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment. Brush the tops and bottoms of the tortillas with the coconut oil, then cut into triangles. Transfer them to the sheet pan and spread them out into a single layer (using two pans if necessary). Combine the sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small dish, then sprinkle the tops of the tortilla triangles. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tops begin to appear dry and the chips begin to lift off the pan. Flip the chips and bake for 2-3 minutes more, until crispy.

Oven-Dried Apple Chips

Dried apples, or apple chips, require just two ingredients - apples and a dash of cinnamon - and a little patience. The end result, though, is incredibly addicting! You may find you and your family eat the entire batch directly from the pan. The key to crispy chips is slicing the apples as thin as possible, no more than ⅛-inch thick.

Ingredients:

2-4 Perfectly Imperfect apples

Ground cinnamon, apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees (convection setting if you have it). Line a sheet pan (or two if using more than two apples) with parchment paper.

Thinly slice the apples crosswise through the center, no more than 1/8 inch thick, removing seeds as needed. Line the apple slices in a single layer on the sheet pan, then sprinkle with cinnamon or seasonings of choice. Transfer pan(s) to the oven and bake for an hour. Flip the apples, and rotate the pans if baking more than one. Continue to bake for another hour, or until the apples are dried and crispy to your liking. You can turn off the oven and leave the apples to continue to dry out as the oven cools (up to overnight).

Once completely cooled, transfer apple chips to a sealed container and store for up to a week (if they last that long!).

We hope you love these apples as much as we do! Show us how you're enjoying them and we'll share it to inspire others. Tag us @perfectlyimperfectproduce on Facebook and Instagram.