Apple Slices Recipe {Chicago Bakery Style Apple Squares} (2024)

FAQs

How do you prepare apple slices? ›

Whisk 2 tablespoons honey into 1 cup water and soak your apple slices in the mixture for 1–3 minutes. Drain and give them a quick rinse with fresh water (or skip the rinse if you don't mind the honey flavor). Bake those slices into an apple pancake and no one will be worrying about their color.

It's best if you slice apples about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Any thicker, and they won't cook through by the time your crust does. Any thinner, and they'll dissolve and leave you with a soggy bottom crust.

Apple Treatment Method: Plain Water

Simply slice the apples and store them submerged in tap water in a lidded container or sealed baggie at room temperature. Sealed in a bag, the apple slices lasted a whopping six hours before starting to brown, and retained their crunch and taste.

To use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water. Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This simple step should keep your apples from browning for several hours.

If the recipe calls for 6 cups of sliced apples, you'll likely need about 8 medium-sized apples, or about 2 pounds of medium-sized apples.

Baking the apple slices first. It's the magic key to a crispy base, superior flavour and perfectly-cooked-and-never-mushy filling. It's also how you get a generous amount of pie filling without the dreaded giant empty cavity under the lid.

I wash the apples, remove the core, and peel them by hand using my best, very sharp Henckles paring knife, then slice them very thin into pieces about 1″.

Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bags. Then store the slices in the fridge. I've held the apples in the fridge for several days with no browning happening. This is good if you need to do some party prep ahead of time.

Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is effective at preventing browning due to its acidic nature. Simply squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the apple slices or mix them in a bowl with a few tablespoons of lemon juice. This will provide a protective layer that slows down the oxidation process.

What does milk do to apple slices? ›

The milk and water covered apple slices will brown as these liquids don't have any acidity to prevent the process of oxidation. You can take the apple slice experiment one step further with your students. Eventually, the apple slice, with the lemon juice, will fully absorb the lemon juice and start to brown.

Slice your apples into wedges that you and your guests can easily grab. You can also skewer the wedges to make dipping and handling easier.

Here's the short version: The best way to prevent browning is to soak the cut fruit in a saltwater solution (half a teaspoon of kosher salt per cup of water) for 10 minutes, then drain and store until ready to use.

Just soak cut apples in lemon-lime soda, like 7-Up or Sprite, for about 10 minutes. Drain them and they're ready to use. Since the flavor is neutral, the fruit needs no additional rinsing. Apples soaked in the lemon-lime soda will look good for a couple days.

Arrange apple slices in a single layer on dehydrator trays, ensuring there is space between pieces to allow airflow. Dehydrate at 135F/57C for 6-12 hours, until dry (see note 1).