What to change when substituting Granny Smith apples for Honeycrisp apples in baking

Apple pie recipes often specify a particular apple variety because the creator adjusts the other ingredients to suit its size and sweetness. Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or a combination of these can all be used in the same recipe, but they don't all turn out the same once baked.

The Granny Smith apple, with its tart and slightly bitter flavor, is a divisive one. To substitute a Granny Smith for a Honeycrisp, simply add sugar, and the amount depends on how sweet you prefer your dessert. The Barefoot Contessa uses half a cup of granulated sugar in the filling of her Granny Smith pie, while the Pioneer Woman uses half a cup of granulated sugar and another half cup of brown sugar. It's best to start with a smaller amount, as the final result can be sweetened later by sprinkling sugar on top of the pastry or adding a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

If you don't like Granny Smith apples and the recipe calls for them, the alternative is Honeycrisp, which is sweet and juicy, with half the amount of sugar.

Honeycrisp and Granny Smith are good choices for baking because they're both more tart than sweet and crisp enough to hold their shape in the oven. The same is true for Pink Lady, Cortland, Jazz, and Braeburn. According to Fraya Berg of Food Network Kitchen, it's best to avoid varieties like Red Delicious, Gala, or Fuji. Soft-centered varieties tend to fall apart too quickly in the oven, though they're fine for compote or apple butter.

The size of the apples also varies considerably. If the recipe calls for 10 cups of sliced ​​apples, 10 medium apples are usually enough; with large apples, you'll need about 8, and with very small apples, about 15 thinly sliced. Mixing varieties also works well: the differences in texture and sweetness give the dessert a more complex flavor.