When my sister and I were young, the first day of school was one of our favorite holidays. We would lay out our clothes and leave our packed backpacks by the door and whisper after bedtime about our hopes for the new school year.

The first day each year was a new beginning, and we spent every summer dreaming of possibilities. Will this be the year that I find the inspiration for my life’s work? Will I read a book or hear a quote that changes my life’s trajectory? Anything was possible.

I loved school, and I’m so happy my little one does too. He watched me load his new backpack with all the supplies on our list, we chose the shirt he would wear with his new jeans, and he wondered before falling asleep if everyone would say they missed him. He was excited to see his friends and to meet new ones, and to tell all of them (almost too loudly) that he can ride his pedal bike now.

His enthusiasm brings me so much joy and relief. Life will truly be easier for him if he continues to love school, and I hope he never grows out of the excitement of the first day.

To celebrate the start of the new school year, I made an apple pie. This pie balances tart Granny Smith apples with a buttery brown sugar caramel sauce to make the ultimate after-school treat.

Back-to-school apple pie

Ingredients:

For the crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cubed

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/4-1/2 cup ice water

For the filling

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and spiralized or shredded

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

The juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Make the dough first.

In the bowl of your food processor combine the flour, salt, sugar and butter.

Pulse until the mixture is crumbly and there are no more large chunks of butter.

Drizzle in ¼ cup of ice water and pulse to combine. If the dough doesn’t come together add ice water, a teaspoon at a time, until a cohesive dough forms.

Separate into two portions and press into disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Peel and shred your apples. I have a spiralizer that I loved for this application (my son did, too), but a cheese grater would work as well.

Put the shredded apple in a bath of cold water and lemon juice to prevent it from browning.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan combine the brown sugar and butter and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly, then take off the heat and cool to room temperature.

When the sauce is cool, stir in the salt and pumpkin pie spice.

Thoroughly drain the shredded apple and transfer to a mixing bowl.

Mix the cornstarch and water to make a slurry and whisk into the sugar sauce before pouring over the shredded apple. Gently mix to coat.

Roll out your pie crust, lay the bottom crust in your pie tin and use a fork to poke lots of holes in the bottom. No need to blind bake for this pie.

Carefully transfer the filling into the pie crust and press down to compact.

Create your top crust in any style that allows for steam to escape.

Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle on some sparkly sugar.

Use tin foil to cover the edge of the pie all the way around to prevent burning.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, remove the foil, then bake another 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Allow to cool to at least room temperature before cutting in.

Serve with a glass of milk and a “how was your day?”

This pie balances tart Granny Smith apples with a buttery brown sugar caramel sauce. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)