Try adding allspice and ginger to spice up your smoothie with even more fall flavors. Steven Bizzoco / Daily Nexus

In my family, the king of all fall treats is apple pie. Every year for Thanksgiving, I take on the task of making an apple pie from scratch. Putting time, effort and care into each step results in a delicious dessert staple of the season. While that may sound fantastic on paper, apple pie is a cruel mistress. Between making dough by hand and the grueling overnight wait before indulging, I’m only ever inclined to make it once a year. However, there is another way. If you don’t want to buy a pie from a store (nor should you) and you don’t want all the hassle of making one. There’s a delicious treat that emulates the filling’s flavor to quench your craving: the apple pie smoothie.

I discovered this recipe in middle school. I had no baking experience at the time, but I wanted apple pie more than life itself. My mother is more of a cook than a baker, so my request for an apple pie in the middle of a particularly warm October was met with some understandable hesitance. The only kitchen tools I regularly used at the time were the microwave and the blender, so I had to get innovative.

After finding the original recipe in a kid’s cookbook, I prepared the ingredients, hit blend and was initially confused. The concoction was somewhat slushy-like, so I thought that was it. It’s over. I’m not getting my pie until Thanksgiving and I’ll just have to accept that. Life is cruel and unfair. Fortunately, I could not have been more wrong. The smoothie hit the spot, but the recipe had room for improvement.

It’s become a tradition for me to whip up a few apple pie smoothies every fall and I try to improve upon the recipe each time. I believe I have found my preferred blend of ingredients to most accurately capture the taste of apple pie filling. On top of that, it’s healthy, simple and quick, making it a perfect treat.

Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 Serving

Ingredients:

•       2 crisp apples (Granny Smith, McIntosh, Gala or Honeycrisp)
•       ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt 
•       Sprinkle of cinnamon
•       Sprinkle of nutmeg
•       Sprinkle of ground clove
•       Half tray of ice cubes

Directions:

1. Wash, peel and remove core from apples.
2. Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s very open to customization. I personally love cinnamon, so I use far more than a sprinkle. Allspice and ginger are also welcome additions to the spices here. If you just hit the gym, a scoop or two of protein powder blends in perfectly. Just have plain Greek yogurt? Try it for a sour bite. Of course, no apple pie is complete if it’s not à la mode. Have some vanilla ice cream on the side or throw it in the blender with everything else to turn this smoothie into the ultimate refreshing treat that encapsulates the flavors of fall.

A version of this article appeared on p. 10 of the November 9, 2023 version of the Daily Nexus.