Valentine's Baked Apple Chips

Older kids will love these apple chips - with a heart cut out so they know who baked for them.

Choose a few apples with no blemishes (Gala or Honey Crisp apples work well). Thinly slice the apples crosswise. A kitchen tool called a Mandolin is best for this job because it produces very thin slices, but a food processor also will work. Both of those tools are extremely sharp. You can also use a knife and cut very thin, uniformly sized slices. No matter what tool you use, slicing the apples is an adults-only job. Note that it is critical to slice the apples very thinly so they will dry out.
Lay out your slices on a cutting board and put your kids to work with some small, heart-shaped cookie cutters. Use the cookie cutter to cut out the seedy center of each apple slice. Dip all the slices in some freshly squeezed lemon juice to prevent browning. Depending on your family's taste, you could sprinkle the slices with a small amount of cinnamon and sugar before baking.
Bake the apple slices on parchment, a Silpat baking mat or a cooling rack for an hour and 10 minutes in a 250 degree oven. Watch the apples carefully toward the end of the cooking time because they can burn quickly. Once they are lightly browned, take the slices out of the oven and gently remove them to a rack. They will crisp up as they cool.