Banana Chips Recipe
Prep Time 8 minutes Cook Time 3 hours
I love to bring my daughter in the kitchen and teach her about healthy eating habits while cooking. The other day she asked me what would happen if you put a carrot in the oven for a very long time. Of course, after I told her it would be either hard or rubbery and overcooked, she wanted to give it a try. So we put a whole carrot and carrot slices in the oven and cooked for 3 hours. The results of the whole carrot are what you would expect (not so appealing), but the carrot slices turned out to be nice, crispy chips.
Now she was enthralled and wanted to see what would happen with all sorts of vegetables and fruit if baked for a long time in the oven. Not only was her imagination going wild, but her cognitive wheels were turning. It was amazing to see her as a little food scientist. Her favorite experiment was the banana chips. They weren't exactly the crispy and crunchy banana chips you can by in the store. Those are deep fried and absolutely addictive, so I was hoping baking banana slices in the oven would turn out crispy; they did not. What happened, though, was a delightfully sweet banana chip that resembled fruit leather.
Before I knew it she had eaten the entire batch. Chewy, naturally sweet and delicious, homemade banana chips are not only a healthy snack but a fun experiment when raw fruit snacks need a little boost!
by Meredith Steele
What you'll need
- 2 bananas
How to make it
- Preheat oven to 250°F.
- Peel and slice the bananas into 1/8-inch rounds. Place slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 3 hours, flipping once halfway through. Cook until dried and no longer wet; they may remain sticky. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. The chips will harden and firm while cooling. Store in a covered food container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
