Ready to bake a delicious apple pie? Here’s a starting point for picking the best apples for the job!
Honeycrisp
Highlights:
Sweet flavor
Holds its shape
Not too juicy
A fan favorite
The Co-op’s best selling apple of 2023
Honeycrisp have a crisp and sweet flesh and a pleasant sweet-tart flavor. Honeycrisp maintain their sweetness when cooked and gain more depth, making them perfect for baking.
Gala
Highlights:
Mellow
Holds its shape
Easily available
Nuances of vanilla
Galas have a sweet flavor and a floral aroma. They mix well with stronger, tarter varieties or green apples for baking. They’re also available year round!
McIntosh
Highlights:
Sweet flavor
Spiced nuances
Breaks down when baked
McIntosh apples have a strong, sweet-tart flavor with nuances of spice. Suitable for fresh and cooked preparations. This apple is delicate and will break down when cooked, so for pies it’s best to pair them with a firmer variety, like Granny Smith.
Granny Smith
Highlights:
Tart
Mixes well with other varieties
Easily available
Because of their tart flavor, Granny Smith are great for baking and cooking with. They’re also known for keeping their shape when cooked.
Golden Delicious
Highlights:
Their mellow flavor works well with heavily spiced pie
Pair with a firmer variety
These apples have a balanced, sweet-tart, aromatic flavor, which has been described as honeyed. Their sweet-tartness makes them great for baking.
Cripps Pink
Highlights:
Sweet-tart
Makes a clean slice of pie
The Co-op’s second best seller of 2023
Also known as Pink Ladies, Cripps Pink is a popular variety. Because of their sweet flavor, these apples are great for making applesauce and pies.
Braeburn
Highlights:
Not too sweet, not too tart
Spiced citrus undertones
Not too juicy
With a sweet-tart flavor, these apples are suitable for both fresh eating and cooking with. Both savory and sweet dishes work well with the Braeburn. If a pie is too much, Braeburns are also a good apple for stuffing and baking.
Northern Spy
Highlights:
Mostly sweet, with a little tartness
Firm texture
Seasonal, so don’t miss out!
Northern Spy has a tartness in its bite, and a cider-like flavor with hints of pear and sweetness. Perfect for use in classic apple preparations such as pies, tarts, and cobblers. It’s only available seasonally, so when you see them, grab some!
Red Delicious
Highlights:
A classic pie apple
Mildly sweet
Breaks down, so mix with a firmer variety
Red delicious apples have a somewhat gauche reputation. However, they offer a mildly sweet taste with flavors of melon. They are a good addition to a pie, when combined with a firmer variety.
Cortland
Highlights:
Very sweet, with a little tartness
Doesn’t brown quickly
Cortlands are crisp and exceptionally juicy with a sharp, sweet-tart, vinous flavor. Extremely slow to brown when cut, the Cortland apple is also perfect for use in fresh apple preparations.
Mutsu
Highlights:
Juicy
Sweet
Firm and won’t lose its shape
Mutsu, also known as Crispin, are a delightfully sweet apple that retains its shape during baking.
Jonagold
Highlights:
Sweet-tart
Honey undertone
Firm and won’t lose its shape
Jonagold are a delicious and crisp variety that are perfect for pies. Their sweet-tart flavor and honey undertones are ideal and they won’t turn to mush in the oven. They are harder to find later in the season.
