We were lucky to have a next door neighbor that had 3 MacIntosh apple trees in her front yard. She would always let us have as many as we wanted for pies or whatever.
Never had any trouble with Macs being too mushy. Now living where I do Utah Macs are way too expensive per pound for me to make apple pies with. Dang it!!!! Most apple pies are far too sweet. So happy to see this post. My mother who would now be used this combination or either alone. She also loved Stamen Winesap. She was knwn for her pies. Much less peeling because the apples are so big. We also mix in Cortlands, Granny Smith and others.
Cortlands are the best!! Baldwins sre also good. McIntosh are totally out. Great to eat but not for pies. My Dad grew up in New England. He loves courtlins. Hard to find in SC now! He likes em very soft. Baking in advance for sure keeps him a happy camper.
Thank you all for adding you favorite apples! I grew up in New York and every fall we would travel north for Northern Spy apples. She made the best pie. Now I am down south and drive north in the fall to buy apples for my apple pie. First of the season. I also inhale the northern fall air to sustain me. Now my mother, displaced to Cincinnati from Weymouth when we were little, always made apple pies w Macs, only Macs.
In , she became the pie baking champion of Cincinnati and so she has some creds. She taught me how to make pies and I will not make an apple pie unless there are Macs available. A problem maybe if the pie crust is too thick or the Macs cut too small.
Thin crust and Macs, no problem. For fear of my mother haunting me, I will not make an apple pie without Macs. I could not agree more. I have been making apple pies since I was 10 and that is now 63 years and I have always used Macintosh apples as did my mother.
The only time I tried another type was when I made a pie for a cousin in Marion, Oh. I will always use Macintosh. I do not get apple sauce. In fact sometimes I have had the apples a little undercooked. I wonder if the crust is either too thick or not made with butter. Butter is all I have ever used too. A full Mac pie is the only way in our family. But really any apple pie is better than no apple pie! Perfect flavor and texture.
Never liked a pie that was crunchy. The Cortland is the best pie apple hands down. The Macoun should be worshiped with hand to mouth eating. MacIntoshes can be sued in a pie if it is the right time in the local season but they are best experienced in apple crisp. I could add my creds of having been the 4H Regional Champion apple pie baker in my mid-teens but I am too humble for that. Butter mixed in—actually rubbed into flour— with fingers to allow the flaky crust we all love.
Pile those apples high. They are the centerpiece after all. I used Macoun, Cortland and Honey Crisp. The key is to use an apple peeler and corer machine from LL Bean that allows you to build the pie slice by slice. This produces a very dense pie with no pockets that is very heavy when you pick it up and settles very little during baking.
It is hard to make a bad pie if you combine any of the apples sited above. I also use very cold vodka instead of water in my crust. The alcohol disappears in cooking but leaves a lighter flakey crust. Finally I use egg white on the top crust and sprinkle it cinnamon sugar. I remember a similar article comparing the best pie apples that appeared in Yankee many years ago. I believe the end conclusion was that they came from the wormy tree down the hill in the backyard! I see you indicated that you are in CA but I am curious if your roots are not from Nova Scotia or Northern Maine as I grew up with my mother only using Gravensteins in her pies.
An heirloom apple with a very short season as well as a limited availability, it brought back wonderful memories of apple pie season. Ma would lay the bottom crust down.
Put the cinnamon sugar and butter on top. Put the top crust on. Then let the butter and sugar melt down through the apples. The sweet from the sugar and tart from the Macoun. To ensure domestic tranquillity was preserved, nothing was said about apples not being peeled. Found out they do not have to be peael for a delicious pie. Later made an apple pie for a lodge meeting supper.
Used golden delicious and a red skined apple. Maybe apple skins were a lot ougher then? They are fun to use. Bye, John Clark, Dover N. After some experimenting I have found a combination of Cortland, Jonathan and Granny Smith to produce the best results. Braeburn and Jonagold work too, since Cortland are hard to find.
I worked in a large orchard we shipped truckloads of Cortland apples for pies. Ginger Golds are picked in late August and are not a pie apple neither Golden Delicious. My sister made the best apple pies I ever tasted. If they taste too sweet, add a little bit of lemon juice. I used them as well for decades when I still lived in Northern Virginia!!!
I just baked a pie with only granny smith apples and it turned to applesauce. What was the problem? Same thing happened to me! I read in some places that this is what Granny Smith apples do. I other places It says they are the perfect apple pie apple. I am confused!! Next time I will use a mix of apples and see how that turns out.
And that was due to not being able to find any here in Arizona. I used golden delicious and they came out pretty good. None of my pies have ever turned into mush. And I like to slice my apples so thin that after baking them they melt into your mouth!
For all of you having the mush problem…. I have never had that issue…it must be your recipe. Good luck finding the good apples! I totally sympathize! I moved to AZ from WI and have not been able to find any decent pie apples!
I used to be in the middle of wonderful apple country. Macs do not get mushy, you must be making your pie wrong! Golden delicious — gotta be kidding — they DO get mushy.
A complete no-confidence vote here! Steve — you are the first person to mention Baldwins. My Aunt Ev and cousin Ev always mention Baldwins for pies. Aunt Ev had a tree. I use many types of apples. I think Jonagold, Rome, and Empire work well too and I often combine apples. I just hate the very firm commercial pies. Newtown pippins were always on store shelves some 40 years ago.
We live on 10 acres and I planted a Newtown pippin four years ago. Last year planted 7 apple trees, Honeycrisp, Cox Orange pippin, Sweet 16, Tompkins king, ashmead kernel, holstein, cortland. It is my belief that the two best apples for pies are Newtown pippin and Cortland. After that Rhode Island greening and Holstein. I agree, I have been making pies for over 25 plus years, and Cortland by far are the best. Also these are easy to obtain as they are grown in the New England area.
Macs are absolutely THEE best apple for apple pie! Yes, they are a bit softer, but in my humble but very experienced opinion the firmer apples in pies tastes like the filling in FROZEN pies. Macs are incredibly soft and prone to bruising, so are very hard to find in many stores. We moved from New England to Hawaii and Macs are impossible to find. But what does she know????????????
Yes, yes and YES! Last year, for whatever reason, a local store had a supply of Macs and I was finally able to show off what these apples can do. My newly adopted loved-ones thought my pies were out of this world. I finally had to dig deep into my cooking skill trenches to create Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies.
It saddens my heart that I may never again be able to make any of these foods for my new neighbors who enjoyed them so much. You are so right. Nothing compares to Macs. I totally agree that Firmer crisp apples taste like frozen or commercial pies.
You, My Mother, and Martha Stewart know best. Sandy Snow. My Mom always used Macs in her apple pies and they never turned to mush! Best apple pie ever! I do not like firm apples in my pie either! And commercial pie? You can keep them! I love a combination of apples in my pie, but am always sure to include Braeburn apples.
Best of all, this variety of apple is usually available year-round. We love Pink Lady apples: They have a nice, rosy color hence the name! Golden Delicious apples stand out on the shelf thanks to their sunny yellow color, and you can usually find them throughout the year. These apples are pretty mild in their flavor, so they work well in pies that have some extra sweetness and spice.
These large, round apples aren't always readily available throughout the year, but when they are, they're one of the very best for pie! They have a mostly sweet, very lightly tart flavor and they're nice and firm. Jonagold apples are a cousin of Golden Delicious and they have some of the same pretty golden hues in their skin. They're a nice mix of sweet and tart, so they work well on their own in a pie. The firm-fleshed apple is a great choice for baking in all forms.
They're mostly found at farmer's markets during apple season. Braeburn apples are perfectly balanced: not too sweet and not too tart! They're great for baking because they release very little liquid when baked, so your pie won't be too runny. If you love the flavor of McIntosh apples and have a lot of them, try mixing them with a firmer variety, like a Pink Lady or a Honey Crisp for pie. These apples don't brown as quickly as other varieties—you can slice them and set them aside while you roll out your dough.
Look for the large, often flat-shaped, apples throughout the fall season. These iconic red apples aren't the most exciting apples for eating, but they work just fine for pie. The variety holds its shape when baked and adds a great tartness to any apple pie. Skip the lemon or quince if you go the all Granny Smith apple pie route! It holds its shape to cooking temperatures extremely well. Stemilt no longer grows Rome, but it cannot be left off a list for the best apples for apple pie list!
Which types of apples are your favorites for using when baking an apple pie? Do you prefer a sweet or tart apple pie, or something in-between? Do you have any secrets when it comes to making an apple pie? Away from the office, Brianna is a mom of two young boys and former picky eater that has been transformed into a bit of a foodie thanks to her husband. Apples Cherries Pears Summer Fruit. Apples Pears Cherries Summer Fruit. Apples Pears Cherries Summer Fruits.
The Best Apples for Apple Pie. This post originally published in September The Best Apples for Apple Pie: Golden Delicious Apples: This classic American variety has a beautiful yellow skin and mellow sweet flavor that makes it one of the best baking apples.
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