the Ali Conklin
  • Food Blog
  • About
  • Lets Work Together
    • Custom Recipes
    • Pantry 101
    • Coaching
  • Contact

healthy snacking: pear chip edition!

10/9/2014

Comments

 
Baked Pear Chips | www.thealiconklin.com
     The end of summer means lots of snacking. Don't ask me why, but it's a struggle I face every year. Now usually I fall down the rabbit hole of chips and cheez-its and cookies and all sorts of traps that will bring on my winter weight earlier than I prefer to happen. But this year I shall overcome! Or not...who knows. Food is pretty awesome after all.

     At this point it is not "I need to stop snacking" (because that is crazy talk) but rather "I need to snack healthier." So I rattled my brain and realized - fruit chips! Veggie chips! Oh, the possibilities! And since it's fall why not have my first shot at this be pear chips?
Baked Pear Chips | www.thealiconklin.com
     Keep in mind I am unfortunately not the proud owner of a dehydrator (or a mandoline for that matter). My guess is you aren't either (but if you are then, damn, I'm jealous), so the trick is to cut carefully and cook low and slow.

     I could have done something to spice it up, like add cinnamon, honey, maple syrup, or what have you, but decided I wanted to keep it classic and simple for the first go around. I am glad I did! At first bite you get a nice crunch and as you chew this beautiful sweetness comes through. Fruit really is nature's candy, and even more so when baked. Now that I know how delicious and easy it is, I will be playing around with toppings!

     The cook time may seem daunting, but I promise you these chips could not be any easier to make. 
Baked Pear Chips | www.thealiconklin.com
Pear Chips
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours (depending on chip thickness)
Servings: around 10-12 chips per pear

You Will Need:

  • Pears of your choice (I used Bosc for their firmness), as many as you like!

  1. Wash pears and dry. Preheat oven to 225-250 degrees, depending on your oven. If you know it is on the accurate side then go for 225. If it tends to undercook, go for 250.
  2. Slice the pears thin, lengthwise, using a sharp knife (CAREFULLY!) or a mandoline (AGAIN, CAREFULLY!). Don't bother coring or even removing stems, there is no need!
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place pear slices in a single layer on the sheets. It's okay if they are close, as they cook they shrink and plenty of space opens up. 
  4. Place in the oven and let cook for 1 1/2 hours. Take them out of the oven and flip, and let cook for another 1-2 hours depending on thickness. Be sure to check in on them at the 1 hour mark as some chips may be thinner than others and you will want to take those out earlier than the rest.
  5. To determine if chips are ready - you want the sides to be curling and for the appearance of the pears to be somewhat dry. If the middle still feels moist let them continue to cook.
  6. Place chips on a plate or wire cooling rack (assuming they don't slip through the cracks) and let cool. As they cool they will harden. Resist the urge to eat them fresh out of the oven!


What do you want to see made into a chip next?
Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Ali is a Brooklyn based blogger and Certified Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, providing you with recipes to inspire you to cook more at home! She is a firm believer in knowing that eating healthy can be made easy and inexpensive if you simply know how to cook and understands that for the average person there needs to be balance between "healthy" and "unhealthy". Whether you are looking for easy weeknight recipes, delicious snacks, or want to try something new, Ali's recipes are easy to follow at all skill levels! For more info about Ali and her offerings, check out the About page.

    my foodgawker gallery

    my healthy aperture gallery

    Categories

    All
    Appetizer
    Asian
    Avocado
    Baking
    Berries
    Breakfast
    Broccoli
    Brunch
    Cheese
    Chicken
    Chickpeas
    Christmas
    Cookies
    Dairy Free
    Dessert
    Dinner
    Dip
    Drinks
    Easter
    Egg
    Fall
    Gluten Free
    Grain Free
    Healthy Snacking
    Holiday
    Lemon
    Low Carb
    Meat
    Mexican
    Pasta
    Pear
    Pie
    Pumpkin
    Quinoa
    Raw
    Salad
    Sauce
    Seafood
    Side Dish
    Soup
    Spinach
    Spring
    Squash
    Steak
    Summer
    Tacos
    Thanksgiving
    Toast
    Tomato
    Valentines Day
    Vegan
    Vegetarian
    Whole Grain
    Winter
    Zucchini

    RSS Feed

    logo
    Food Advertising by
© 2020 The Ali Conklin   |   Privacy Policy   |
  • Food Blog
  • About
  • Lets Work Together
    • Custom Recipes
    • Pantry 101
    • Coaching
  • Contact