Dried Pear Chips

Two ingredients. That’s all it takes to turn fresh pears into crispy, translucent chips that shatter when you bite them. Paper-thin slices dipped in simple syrup and dried in a low oven until all the moisture is gone.

The key is slicing the pears as thin as humanly possible. An electric meat slicer gives you the most uniform, thinnest slices. A mandoline works too, but the goal is nearly see-through. Thick slices won’t dry out properly and stay chewy instead of crisp.

The simple syrup dip serves two purposes. It adds a light glaze of sweetness and helps the slices brown more evenly during the long, low bake. Without it, the chips can look pale and taste flat.

Baking at 200°F (93°C) in a convection oven dehydrates the fruit slowly without caramelizing or burning it. The time varies between 40 and 60 minutes depending on how thin your slices are and your oven’s accuracy. Watch for the edges to curl and the centers to look dry and firm.

Kitchen Tips

• Peel the pear chips off the parchment while still hot. Cooled chips cement themselves to the paper and break when you try to remove them.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before storing. Any residual warmth creates condensation in the container and softens the chips.
• Store in an airtight container with a small silica packet if you have one. Humidity is the enemy of crispy fruit chips.
• Use firm, ripe pears. Overripe pears are too soft to slice thin and too moist to dry properly.

Variations

• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar before baking for a spiced version.
• Use apples instead of pears for a crunchier, tangier chip.
• Serve as a garnish on top of ice cream, panna cotta, or a cheese board.