Did you know that apples are a member of the rose family of plants, along with pears, peaches, plums, and cherries?

According to nyapplecountry.com, Americans eat more apples per capita than any other fruit. Why? Perhaps we know that they’re good for us. A medium-sized apple contains about 80 calories. They keep us feeling full, unlike other processed snack foods. Better yet, apples are fat-free, sodium-free, and cholesterol-free!

Clearly, I’m fascinated by the delightful qualities of apples. So much so that I tried my hand at baking apple slices this weekend. Initially, I wanted to make these bite-sized snacks to add to a copycat Panera Fuji Apple Salad (which I may still whip up), but yesterday’s chilly temperatures inspired me to add them to a bowl of warm oatmeal for breakfast. It was delicious!

My Easy to Make Baked Apple Slices make a great grab-and-go snack or a flavorful addition to salads, sandwiches, or even a bowl of ice cream. This recipe produces soft apple slices with crispy edges. I prefer to leave on the apple skin. Unlike other baked apple slices recipes online, I bake mine at a higher temperature for less time. Let me walk you through the simple steps to making apple slices.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. After washing each apple, remove its inside core using a melon baller. If you don’t have one, you can simply slice the apple in half and remove the core with a knife. Carefully use a mandolin slicer on the thin setting to slice each apple. Lay the apple slices on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle the apple slices with pumpkin spice.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the apple slices using tongs. (They will be soft, but that’s okay. We’re not making dehydrated apples.) Bake for another 10 minutes. Note: Small end pieces of apple may begin to burn so watch them closely in the later minutes of baking. Remove as necessary. Oven temperatures vary and these instructions are meant to produce still-soft apple slices, not hard chips.

If you love apples as much as I do (ironic because I was once a teacher), then you’ll also enjoy my recipe for Salted Caramel Apple Martini  or Peanut-Butterscotch Apple Nachos. Have a super apple recipe for me to try, tag One Delightful Life on Twitter or add it to the comment section below.