Okay, so there’s an apple festival this weekend, and I want to compete in the bake-off. Five years ago, my apple pie got first place. That was when it was pies only; now it’s open to anything made with apples. Mr. Rilch thinks I should use the same recipe I did last time, and I’m not opposed to that, but I’d like to step up my game a bit with a caramel-apple pie. Or I could do applesauce (with cinnamon). What say you?
Quince-apple pie. I just made one last week and it was a decided improvement over straight apple.
Mexican apple pie is really good, apple with a little chile powder in it.
Since you’ve already won an award for your regular apple pie, you owe it to your public to do something new.
I love a straight-ahead apple pie (although I’ll allow for apple-pear and apple-quince sounds awesome). I don’t like it gussied it beyond that, so I voted straight apple pie.
Deep-dish apple pie with a kick. Add some apple brandy to the filling before baking. Or cinnamon schnapps. I make a peach pie using Southern Comfort that wins awards.
I put raisins, walnuts and cinnamon along with the apples in my apple pie.
You could shake it up with apple dumplings or fresh apple cake.
Mile High Apple Pie. Deep dish pie with 5lbs of granny smith apples.
When come back, bring prize.
Caramel Apple Pie. Send me three.
I see there are no votes for applesauce. I think I’ll try out the caramel-apple during the week. If I don’t like the results, original recipe it is. I use cinnamon, vanilla and honey in that. Apple brandy sounds interesting, though. And I always use a variety of apples, like Granny Smith and Fuji and Braeburn.
I am thinking to makethis for mrAru’s work potluck Friday. Apple cake with maple cream cheese frosting … we have a fair number of Granny Smith apples [they stay firm and sharp with fruity notes when cooked - you don’t want a grainy textured apple for cooking unless you are making sauce because they go mealy and mushy]
I have this baking plaque from King Arthur Flour, though mine is silicon and I picked it up in their on site store when we visited a couple years ago. Not sure if they still make it.
When come back, bring pie! ( Ribbons might be high fiber but we’re talking dessert here…)
Do applesauce if you’re allowed two entries, but otherwise, applesauce is just not that exciting.
I’m voting against caramel-apple pies. I love caramel and I love apples… but every caramel apple pie I’ve had has been so sickeningly sweet that I can’t eat it.
I’d recommend your original recipe pie. You sound a lot like my wife, who is constantly trying to innovate and try new things… but every prize she’s won came on years when I convinced her to stick with her standard recipes that she cooks for the family holidays every year. Sometimes you just can’t improve on perfect. 
That was my concern about caramel apple pie, too - I think it would be overly sweet, which sounds funny when talking about a dessert, but I think part of the magic of apple pie (for me) is the tart apples with the sugar and cinnamon.
I watched my mom make a pie recently, and I think I might give it a try again. The last time was decades ago, and the results were…not great. Hers was amazing, and she made it look easy. (I do bake all the time, just not pies.)
I HAD to vote for “send me one of each,” but my real choice would be caramel-apple.
(Actually, my real choice would be quince, since I haven’t had one of those in a long, long, long time, and remember it being good.)
I’m munching a Braeburn as I type this, but if you could use Winesaps or King Davids in the caramel thing you mentioned, you’ll have a definite edge.
Quince.
Now you made me want a Rhubarb and (Granny Smith) apple pie the way my grandmother used to make.