Baked Zucchini Chips

The picture above was taken using the “thin” setting on our mandolin. They turned out more like kale chips; thin and very crispy and were pretty tricky to get off the pan (can you tell?). I would love to try this recipe using the “medium” or “thick” setting and see if they turn out more like hardy chips. This recipe definitely takes some patience, but the end result is well worth it. You will need to put in multiple rounds of baking to yield enough for multiple to enjoy. Otherwise, they will be gone before you know it! In the past, we have made sweet potato chips, root veggie chips, kale chips and the like, but never tried zucchini chips until now, even with the abundant amount of zucchini each summer. I must say, these are tasty little crisps with a bit of spice from the black pepper, and simply perfect to snack on throughout the day. If you have some time on your hands, way too much zucchini and a craving for salty goodness, this recipe is for you. Enjoy!

What You’ll Need:

• 3 *large zucchini, washed and trimmed
• about 4 T of olive oil, plus more for coating on pan
• sea salt and black pepper, applied sparingly (coming from a family who loves salt)

*When I say large, I don’t mean something you would buy from the grocery store. I’m talking home-grown/at-your-farmer’s-market type large. If anyone has grown zucchini, they know what this means; about 12 inches long and maybe 12 inches in circumference.

What to Do:

1. Preheat oven to 250°
2. Using a mandolin or knife and slice your zucchini on the thin setting of your mandolin or about 1/8 inch thin.
3. Lay on paper towel and allow the towel to soak up some of the moisture in the zucchini.
4. Combine zucchini, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl until coated. I only sprinkled some salt and pepper, tossed a few times and repeated. I was worried about over salting since I’ve heard a little goes a long way.
5. Pour about a tablespoon more of olive oil on your tray and smear to coat. Arrange zucchini in a single layer until the entire tray is filled. This will take a multiple trays. Add a touch more salt and pepper to reach the slices you didn’t get before.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until the zucchini turns golden brown and is crispy. Check every 15 minutes or so; they tend to brown quickly towards the end. We took off some of the browned ones and put the tray back in for those that did not crisp enough.
7. Allow to cool and store in air-tight container.
8. Repeat steps 5 through 7 until all your zucchini have been used.

Note: If you want to try a thicker setting, it may need to bake for longer. Again, check every 15 minutes to be safe.

Makes about 3 cups loosely packed.