Look For This Apple Variety If You Prefer Tart Flavors (It's Not Granny Smith)

If you like tart flavors but feel the Granny Smith apple brings nothing but acidity to the table, other varieties deserve your snacking attention. One of the best apples to bring both a solid tartness and sweetness to the fruit is the Pink Lady. A cross between a Golden Delicious and a Lady Williams, Pink Lady apples are both crisp and sweet — where Granny Smiths push only the tart levels to the max, Pink Lady says, "Why not both?"

In fact, Pink Lady apples usually have more acids in the fruit than a Granny Smith. According to Aprifel, Pink Ladies have around 6 grams of acid per kilogram of apple, while Granny Smiths have 5.2 grams per kilogram. The majority of the acidity comes from malic acid, one of the acid sources that makes sour candy, like Warheads, sour. While the sugar content of both varieties is close, the 12.3 grams of sugar in the Pink Lady does enough to balance the apple out, compared to the roughly 10.6 grams of sugar in a Granny Smith.

First off, just eat them. Ozzy Osbourne, of all people, was unapologetic in his love of the Pink Lady apple. If the Prince of Darkness enjoyed the balance of sweet and tart, anyone can. They make a healthy snack with a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and a decent amount of fiber in each large apple. The crunchy apple is also great raw in salads and cheeseboards.

You can use the apple in any baking recipe to bring an extra sweetness to the baked good. Alton Brown says it's his favorite variety to use for an apple pie. Since the fruit is smaller than others, it takes a little more work to slice and peel each apple, but the results are worth it. Thankfully, the interior white flesh is slow to oxidize and turn brown, meaning you can peel and slice them ahead of time. The firm fruit holds its shape well in the oven. Any way you cut it (and bake it), tart apple fans will find a home in Pink Ladies.