Oven Baked Onion Rings

I love onion rings and have been waiting to make the baked onion rings in the June issue of EDF ever since my copy came in the mail. And then a few weeks ago, one of the blogs that I read, The Bitten Word, made them and said they were fantastic! And then I got back from LA and realized that the CEimB recipe of the week was none other than Ellie's version of baked onion rings!

The two recipes are surprisingly similar. So I made a combination of the two...I mostly followed Ellie's version, using all of the same ingredients, minus the cayenne, and I halved the recipe (oh, and I added an egg white to the buttermilk mixture for a little extra binding power).

The part that I borrowed from Martha's version was the baking method. Her recipe calls for first heating the oil on the baking sheet, and then minutes later adding the onion rings (so the rings start to cook/crisp as soon as they hit the pan). Ellie says to use cooking spray...I used regular canola oil (I didn't have cooking spray) to coat the pan which needless to say added a few more calories...oh well!

Also like Martha, I baked them for 8 minutes per side for a total of 16 minutes (Ellie doesn't call for flipping them half-way through the baking time, but I think it's important for both sides to crisp on the hot pan).

I used the Kettle Brand of baked chips, and if you can find them it's totally worth it (both for this recipe and everyday snacking). They are made with whole sliced potatoes (not ground-up reformed chips, like Baked Lays). Don't get me wrong, I eat Baked Lays, but these are so much better!

If you like onion rings, give these a try. You will not be disappointed!

Oven Baked Onion Rings

• Per serving (following Ellie's version) - 205 calories, 3.5 g fat (0 g saturated), 40 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 5 g protein (exchanges: 1/2 fat, 2 1/2 starches, 1/2 vegetable; WW points: 4)
• Notes - Grind the chips up very fine...if you don't, they will start to clump and not stick to the onion; I would add an egg white to the buttermilk mixture to help the crust stick; I also think heating the pan first is a good idea too...would this work with cooking spray? not sure...it might burn?!?; definitely use a sweet onion (like Vidalia)...the sweetness contrasts well with the salty chip coating; I baked at 450 for 16 minutes...turning the rings after 8 minutes
• My thoughts - These are great! As an onion ring lover, I assure you that they are worth it! But eat them right away or they will start to lose their crispiness (and get cold).