Braeburn Braeburn is perfect for balancing sweet and sour. Its intense flavor intensifies when baked. Add that it naturally has cinnamon and nutmeg-like flavors, and this apple is perfect for apple pie.
Cameo Sweet and crunchy, cameeo apples make a fantastic snack. These traits make them a top apple pie apple. They'll sweeten and hold form when baked.
Cortland Picking apples for baking? Harvest Cortlands in September at your local orchard. Peeling is easy with these apples' thin skin and crisp texture. These apples lose their sweetness if left in the crisper drawer for more than a week.
Crispin (Mutsu) Many people enjoy eating these yellow-green apples as is, but they also make great apple pie. They're juicy, crisp, and sweet, and baking or roasting enhances their flavors. Crispin apples are Golden Delicious-Indo hybrids.
Granny Smith Most chefs say this is their favorite baking apple. Bright green skin and extra-tart flavor distinguish Granny Smiths, which store well and are available year-round.
Honeycrisp Their rich sweetness makes them our favorite snacking apples. They're expensive because of their sudden popularity, but they're worth it. They soften slightly when baked, but not too much.
Jonagold Crossing Jonathan and Golden Delicious gives this apple a pleasing greenish-yellow color with red splotches. It tastes honeyed like Golden Delicious but is firmer, sweeter, and puckerier.
Lodi This list includes green apples besides Granny Smiths! Lodi apples with green peel make delicious pies. Many Southerners pluck these apples early in the season.
A Northern Spy These apples start sour and sweeten. It's what makes this cider variety popular. However, these traits make Northern Spy apples ideal for cast-iron apple pie.
Paula Red Paula Red apples—also called Early Macs—are delicious and firm. They'll need little sugar to make a great pie.