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An all-star of fall baking, apples will never let you down. Sure, pumpkin (and pumpkin spice) gets a lot of the attention this time of year, but I can’t help wondering why. Apples are accessible, affordable and ready to use right away — no cans, no wrangling and roasting a giant gourd required. And whether you shop at the grocery store or the farmers market, you’re bound to find at least a few apple varieties to let you pick exactly the right one for you or your recipe.
To help you get in the spirit of the season, here’s your starter package on baking with apples.
Types of apples for baking
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There are a few broad categories for types of apples based on texture and flavor, some of which are more suited to baking than others.
- Crunchy and sweet: These are basically dessert apples, sweet and thin-skinned. Overall, crunchy (or crisp) apples are best for baking because they will soften but not turn to mush when heated. There are a few common exceptions, namely Red Delicious and Gala, whose flesh aren’t dense enough to do well when baked, orchard owner Mark Toigo said. Examples: Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Crispin/Mutsu.
- Crunchy and sweet-tart: For a balanced flavor with some acidity but not enough to be lip-puckering, look no further than these. In baking, they won’t require as much sugar as an all-tart apple. Examples: Jonagold, Ginger Gold, Empire.
- Crunchy and tart: These are quintessential pie apples, managing to both soften and hold their shape when baked. They’ll also keep a pie, or other richer desserts, from getting too cloying. Examples: Granny Smith, Goldrush, Paula Red, Northern Spy.
- Tender and sweet: Anything that falls into the tender category is best left to eating out of hand or used in a situation where you don’t mind the apples breaking down, such as applesauce, apple butter or even a cake or muffin recipe where the apple will be grated and need not hold up in pieces, such as my Apple and Pear Cake With Citrus and Nuts. Examples: Cortland, Jonamac.
- Tender and tart: Again, these are best enjoyed raw or in dishes where you want the apple to break down completely. Examples: McIntosh, Macoun, Jonathan, Mollie’s Delicious.
A guide to picking the right apple for the right recipe
Make the recipe: Zesty Apple Pie
Best apples for pie
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Texture is as important as flavor when it comes to which types of apples to use for pie. As my colleague Aaron Hutcherson says, “For starters, you don’t want an apple that’s soft or mealy, because it might break down too much and turn into something resembling the texture of baby food. (For example: McIntosh apples are great for eating out of hand, but they don’t hold up well when it comes to baking.) And then there are others that are either lacking in the flavor department completely or simply one-dimensional. (Red Delicious, we’re looking at you.)”
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For texture, lean in on the crunchy apples listed above, plus a few more farmers market finds, such as Cameo, Northern Spy, Stayman and Winesap. Also take flavor into account. Because apple pie fillings tend to skew sweet already, many bakers prefer to lean on tart or sweet-tart varieties. Tart Granny Smith is a go-to for this reason, and you should consider Goldrush, Paula Red and Northern Spy for the same reasons. Jonagold, Ginger Gold and Empire are sweet-tart apples worthy of pie, too. Another point in favor of tart or sweet-tart apples is that it’s easier to add a little more sugar to the filling if needed than it is to bring down the sweetness of more sugary apples.
For an all-around, reliable pick, you won’t go wrong with Golden Delicious, which I think are among the best grocery store apples.
Another option is to mix and match several varieties in one pie, so that you get a blend of flavors and textures, as in Zesty Apple Pie.
Of course, baking with apples isn’t limited to pie, as you’ll find in this roundup of cakes and this collection of mostly non-pie treats, including a crisp showered in granola and a tray of stunning whole baked fruit.
Should you peel apples for baking?
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Whether you peel your apples is up to you. There’s plenty of nutrition packed into the skins, which is one reason to consider leaving them on where it makes sense. Peeling works best when apples are left in bigger pieces. Coming across a large section of skin can interrupt the soft, smooth experience of biting into a slice of pie or cake, like my Jewish Apple Cake, where the fruit takes on a cloak of cinnamon sugar and melds with a tender, gently sweet batter. (Any peels work well in these Cinnamony Apple Crisps.)
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If you are dicing or grating apple, the sections of skin will be much smaller and will soften even more to blend seamlessly into whatever you’re baking. I’m much more inclined to leave the skin on in something like muffins, where the slight rusticity is part of the charm. And in some situations, the sturdiness of the skin is a good thing. Leaving the peel on in Ellie Krieger’s Apple Pie Parfaits ensures intact slices and provides a lovely blush color when piled between a snowy layer of yogurt whipped cream and a graham cracker base.
Are baking apples interchangeable?
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It’s okay to substitute baking apples for one another. If you can’t find the apple called for in a recipe or you want to experiment and go rogue, don’t sweat it! Really. An apple is an apple is an apple. While you may experience a different texture or flavor from the original recipe, it will not be catastrophic. You may even discover you like your changes better. If you must swap in a tarter apple for a sweeter variety, it’s easy to adjust the sugar in a recipe to reflect that. A little lemon juice can balance out sweeter varieties where a tarter one was called for. If you’re worried about apples getting overly soft, cut them in bigger pieces or leave the skin on. A not-exactly perfect apple dessert is way better than none at all.
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